Deniusas Nabs Fifth Consecutive Ohio Valley Conference Freshman Of The Week Accolade
12/8/2025 1:30:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – Two more strong performances from the University of Tennessee at Martin men's basketball star Matas Deniusas resulted in his fifth straight Ohio Valley Conference Freshman of the Week honor to start the 2025-26 campaign, the league announced today.
A 6-9, 220-pound forward, Deniusas extends his own school record for most repeat OVC Freshman of the Week award wins. He now trails only Marquis Weddle (six in 2007-08) for the most OVC Freshman of the Week accolades in Skyhawk history.
Deniusas helped lead UT Martin to an undefeated week, earning impressive nonconference home victories over Charleston Southern (73-56 on Dec. 2) and Alabama State (74-64 on Dec. 7). He averaged 20.0 points while connecting on 40 percent (6-for-15) of his three-point field goal attempts, leading the Skyhawks in scoring in both contests.
The Vilnius, Lithuania native unleashed a career-best 25 points against Charleston Southern – becoming the first UT Martin rookie to reach that scoring mark against a NCAA Division I opponent since Myles Taylor registered 31 points at Kennesaw State on Feb. 14, 2012. Deniusas then followed that with a game-high 15 points and a career-high two steals against reigning SouthWestern Athletic Conference champion Alabama State.
Deniusas currently ranks in the top-20 in the OVC in free throws made (39, first), points per game (14.7, seventh), free throw percentage (.765, 11th), blocked shots per contest (0.8, 18th) and three-point field goals made per game (1.4, 20th). He is also shooting 39.4 percent (13-of-33) from three-point range while adding 4.1 rebounds and 1.2 assists per outing.
The Skyhawks are back in action on Wednesday, Dec. 10 with a road matchup at Southern Illinois.
A 6-9, 220-pound forward, Deniusas extends his own school record for most repeat OVC Freshman of the Week award wins. He now trails only Marquis Weddle (six in 2007-08) for the most OVC Freshman of the Week accolades in Skyhawk history.
Deniusas helped lead UT Martin to an undefeated week, earning impressive nonconference home victories over Charleston Southern (73-56 on Dec. 2) and Alabama State (74-64 on Dec. 7). He averaged 20.0 points while connecting on 40 percent (6-for-15) of his three-point field goal attempts, leading the Skyhawks in scoring in both contests.
The Vilnius, Lithuania native unleashed a career-best 25 points against Charleston Southern – becoming the first UT Martin rookie to reach that scoring mark against a NCAA Division I opponent since Myles Taylor registered 31 points at Kennesaw State on Feb. 14, 2012. Deniusas then followed that with a game-high 15 points and a career-high two steals against reigning SouthWestern Athletic Conference champion Alabama State.
Deniusas currently ranks in the top-20 in the OVC in free throws made (39, first), points per game (14.7, seventh), free throw percentage (.765, 11th), blocked shots per contest (0.8, 18th) and three-point field goals made per game (1.4, 20th). He is also shooting 39.4 percent (13-of-33) from three-point range while adding 4.1 rebounds and 1.2 assists per outing.
The Skyhawks are back in action on Wednesday, Dec. 10 with a road matchup at Southern Illinois.
Players Mentioned
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