Sunday, December 7
Martin, Tenn.
2 p.m.
UT Martin
7-2,0-0OVC
74
vs
64
Alabama State
3-6,0-0SWAC
1
2
F
Alabama St.
35
29
64
UT Martin
30
44
74
Skyhawks Crash The Boards In 74-64 Win Over Alabama State
12/7/2025 7:20:00 PM | Men's Basketball
MARTIN, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee at Martin men's basketball squad overcame a halftime deficit to post an impressive double-digit victory this afternoon, downing Alabama State by a 74-64 margin at the Kathleen and Tom Elam Center.
With the triumph, the Skyhawks improve to 7-2 for just the second time at the NCAA Division I level – also winning seven of their first nine contests in 2016-17. UT Martin outscored the Hornets – the defending SouthWestern Athletic Conference champion who won a NCAA Tournament game last season – by a 44-29 margin over the final 20 minutes and snagged 20 offensive boards on the way to outrebounding Alabama State by a dozen (44-32).
Four Skyhawks reached double figures in the scoring column today, led by Andrija Bukumirović's sixth double-double (game-high 15 points and career-best 13 rebounds) of the season. Matas Deniusas equaled Bukumirović for the most points (15) by either squad this afternoon while Damien King (career-highs of 14 points, seven rebounds and four steals) and Filip Radaković (14 points) followed closely behind.
The Hornets (3-6) saw Tyler Byrd score 15 points off the bench while Jerquarius Stanback and Micah Simpson each posted 12 points apiece. Asjon Anderson tacked on 11 points for Alabama State, who were outscored 20-3 in second-chance points.
"We're getting better defensively," UT Martin head coach Jeremy Shulman said. "Our guys are guarding at a high level and understanding what we're doing daily. Rebounding is a big part of what we wanted to do today – we knew coming in that Alabama State is super athletic and very big. Our guys just pounded the glass all day long."
The Hornets jumped out to a 9-2 advantage before a three-pointer by Ty Price capped off an 8-0 Skyhawk run and gave UT Martin its first lead of the day at 12-11. Alabama State responded with nine unanswered points of its own before King caught fire with nine of the Skyhawks' next 16 points over a stretch of 5:32.
Bukumirović converted a putback layup with 11 seconds remaining to close out the first-half scoring, whittling the UT Martin deficit down to 35-30 at the break. King's nine points led all scorers at the half while Simpson's eight points ranked as a team-high tally for the Hornets.
Alabama State extended its lead to 42-34 with 17:18 left to play but the Skyhawks came right back with 14 of the next 16 points and would not trail for the final 13:14. After the Hornets knotted the score at 49-all, UT Martin went on a 10-2 surge and eventually led by as many as 15 points on the way to the victory.
The Skyhawks go back on the road on Wednesday, Dec. 10 as they make the short drive to Southern Illinois. Tipoff time from Carbondale, Ill. is set for 7 p.m.
With the triumph, the Skyhawks improve to 7-2 for just the second time at the NCAA Division I level – also winning seven of their first nine contests in 2016-17. UT Martin outscored the Hornets – the defending SouthWestern Athletic Conference champion who won a NCAA Tournament game last season – by a 44-29 margin over the final 20 minutes and snagged 20 offensive boards on the way to outrebounding Alabama State by a dozen (44-32).
Four Skyhawks reached double figures in the scoring column today, led by Andrija Bukumirović's sixth double-double (game-high 15 points and career-best 13 rebounds) of the season. Matas Deniusas equaled Bukumirović for the most points (15) by either squad this afternoon while Damien King (career-highs of 14 points, seven rebounds and four steals) and Filip Radaković (14 points) followed closely behind.
The Hornets (3-6) saw Tyler Byrd score 15 points off the bench while Jerquarius Stanback and Micah Simpson each posted 12 points apiece. Asjon Anderson tacked on 11 points for Alabama State, who were outscored 20-3 in second-chance points.
"We're getting better defensively," UT Martin head coach Jeremy Shulman said. "Our guys are guarding at a high level and understanding what we're doing daily. Rebounding is a big part of what we wanted to do today – we knew coming in that Alabama State is super athletic and very big. Our guys just pounded the glass all day long."
The Hornets jumped out to a 9-2 advantage before a three-pointer by Ty Price capped off an 8-0 Skyhawk run and gave UT Martin its first lead of the day at 12-11. Alabama State responded with nine unanswered points of its own before King caught fire with nine of the Skyhawks' next 16 points over a stretch of 5:32.
Bukumirović converted a putback layup with 11 seconds remaining to close out the first-half scoring, whittling the UT Martin deficit down to 35-30 at the break. King's nine points led all scorers at the half while Simpson's eight points ranked as a team-high tally for the Hornets.
Alabama State extended its lead to 42-34 with 17:18 left to play but the Skyhawks came right back with 14 of the next 16 points and would not trail for the final 13:14. After the Hornets knotted the score at 49-all, UT Martin went on a 10-2 surge and eventually led by as many as 15 points on the way to the victory.
The Skyhawks go back on the road on Wednesday, Dec. 10 as they make the short drive to Southern Illinois. Tipoff time from Carbondale, Ill. is set for 7 p.m.
Team Stats
ALST
UTM
FG%
.451
.429
3FG%
.389
.310
FT%
.579
.478
RB
32
44
TO
13
13
STL
5
10
Game Leaders
Pts
15
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
4
Pts
15
FGM
6
3FGM
2
FTM
1
Pts
14
FGM
6
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Pts
14
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
5
Players Mentioned
G/F
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
G
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