Friday, November 13
Martin, Tenn.
6 p.m.
UT Martin
2-2,0-0OVC
86
vs
57
Champion Christian
0-2
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Champion Chris. | 39 | 18 | 57 |
| UT Martin | 36 | 50 | 86 |
11/13/2026 9:32:00 PM | Men's Basketball
MARTIN, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee at Martin men's basketball team shook off a slow start tonight to defeat Champion Christian by an 86-57 margin in the 2026-27 home opener.
The Skyhawks held the visiting Tigers to 22.6 percent shooting (7-of-31) and a 1-for-18 effort from three-point land (5.6 percent) in the second half, outscoring Champion Christian by a 50-18 margin over the final 20 minutes. Down two starters, UT Martin still managed to force 22 turnovers, outscore the Tigers 46-10 in the paint and hold a 44-14 advantage in points off the bench.
All 11 Skyhawks who played tallied at least three points, led by Nikola Janicic's 15-point effort to go along with a game-high four assists, four rebounds and two steals. Davi Remagen tallied 10 points while Gabrielius Bubnys managed 10 points in 13 minutes in his collegiate debut. Sasha Savkov tacked on game-highs of eight rebounds and three steals while Ousseynou Sambe swatted away a game-high two blocks for UT Martin (2-2).
Champion Christian (2-1) was led by Braylon Frazier's 16 points while Kelen Smith provided 14 points and seven rebounds for the first-year NAIA program out of Hot Springs, Ark.
"Credit to Champion Christian – they're so well-coached and they came out and made 10 first-half three-pointers," Skyhawk head coach Jeremy Shulman said. "I'm really proud of our response in the second half. Nikola Janicic and Armandas Bancevicius really stepped up and were fantastic in the second half – they're unsung heroes on this roster."
After Bubnys scored five straight points in a span of 23 seconds, Kaan Onat converted a driving layup at the 13:40 mark to open up UT Martin's first double-digit lead of the night (16-6). Moments later, five consecutive points from Nikas Stuknys stretched the Skyhawk advantage out to 28-14 with eight minutes to go in the first half. However, the Tigers soon went on a 12-2 run and eventually claimed a 39-36 lead going at the intermission. Five UT Martin scorers led the way with five points apiece while Frazier and Smith each had 13 points at the break for Champion Christian.
Early in the second half, the Skyhawks dialed up 11 unanswered points to seize the momentum. After the Tigers cut their deficit to 58-49 at the 10:09 mark of the second half, UT Martin went on a 16-0 run to officially put the game away. Bancevicius contributed a pair of three-pointers during the extended Skyhawk surge that featured points out of six different scorers. A triple by Enrique Moya with 2:51 remaining gave UT Martin its biggest lead of the night (83-51) as the Skyhawks improved to 33-2 in home openers since joining the NCAA Division I ranks in 1992.
UT Martin is back at home on Sunday, Nov. 15 as its outing against Ecclesia has been moved to a 5 p.m. tipoff at the Kathleen and Tom Elam Center.
The Skyhawks held the visiting Tigers to 22.6 percent shooting (7-of-31) and a 1-for-18 effort from three-point land (5.6 percent) in the second half, outscoring Champion Christian by a 50-18 margin over the final 20 minutes. Down two starters, UT Martin still managed to force 22 turnovers, outscore the Tigers 46-10 in the paint and hold a 44-14 advantage in points off the bench.
All 11 Skyhawks who played tallied at least three points, led by Nikola Janicic's 15-point effort to go along with a game-high four assists, four rebounds and two steals. Davi Remagen tallied 10 points while Gabrielius Bubnys managed 10 points in 13 minutes in his collegiate debut. Sasha Savkov tacked on game-highs of eight rebounds and three steals while Ousseynou Sambe swatted away a game-high two blocks for UT Martin (2-2).
Champion Christian (2-1) was led by Braylon Frazier's 16 points while Kelen Smith provided 14 points and seven rebounds for the first-year NAIA program out of Hot Springs, Ark.
"Credit to Champion Christian – they're so well-coached and they came out and made 10 first-half three-pointers," Skyhawk head coach Jeremy Shulman said. "I'm really proud of our response in the second half. Nikola Janicic and Armandas Bancevicius really stepped up and were fantastic in the second half – they're unsung heroes on this roster."
After Bubnys scored five straight points in a span of 23 seconds, Kaan Onat converted a driving layup at the 13:40 mark to open up UT Martin's first double-digit lead of the night (16-6). Moments later, five consecutive points from Nikas Stuknys stretched the Skyhawk advantage out to 28-14 with eight minutes to go in the first half. However, the Tigers soon went on a 12-2 run and eventually claimed a 39-36 lead going at the intermission. Five UT Martin scorers led the way with five points apiece while Frazier and Smith each had 13 points at the break for Champion Christian.
Early in the second half, the Skyhawks dialed up 11 unanswered points to seize the momentum. After the Tigers cut their deficit to 58-49 at the 10:09 mark of the second half, UT Martin went on a 16-0 run to officially put the game away. Bancevicius contributed a pair of three-pointers during the extended Skyhawk surge that featured points out of six different scorers. A triple by Enrique Moya with 2:51 remaining gave UT Martin its biggest lead of the night (83-51) as the Skyhawks improved to 33-2 in home openers since joining the NCAA Division I ranks in 1992.
UT Martin is back at home on Sunday, Nov. 15 as its outing against Ecclesia has been moved to a 5 p.m. tipoff at the Kathleen and Tom Elam Center.
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballTeam Stats
CC
UTM
FG%
.339
.465
3FG%
.289
.263
FT%
.500
.667
RB
36
47
TO
22
16
STL
9
15
Game Leaders
Pts
15
FGM
6
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
3
FTM
0
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