Tuesday, February 3
Martin, Tenn.
7:30 p.m.
UT Martin
18-5,10-2OVC
55
vs
52
Little Rock
9-14,6-6OVC
1
2
F
Little Rock
21
31
52
UT Martin
23
32
55
Big Plays Down The Stretch Send Skyhawks Past Little Rock, 55-52
2/3/2026 11:15:00 PM | Men's Basketball
MARTIN, Tenn. – The perfect home record for the University of Tennessee at Martin men's basketball team remained intact this evening as the Skyhawks downed Little Rock by a 55-52 margin.
The victory improved UT Martin's record to 10-0 inside the Kathleen and Tom Elam Center in 2025-26. The ending provided plenty of drama as the score was knotted at 46-all with 4:50 to go. The Skyhawks took a five-point advantage (55-50) with 31 seconds remaining but had to endure a potential game-tying three-point try with one second left, officially sealing the win after the Trojan attempt rimmed off.
Matas Deniusas scored a game-high 17 points – including five in a row late – to lead UT Martin, who improved to 18-5 (10-2 Ohio Valley Conference). Andrija Bukumirović snapped the 46-46 tie with a big three-pointer, finishing the contest with 15 points plus team-highs of seven rebounds and three steals.
Little Rock (9-14, 6-6 OVC) was led by Braxton Bayless' 13 points while Kachi Nzeh (11 points) also scored in double figures. The Trojans were held to 26.7 percent (4-of-15) shooting from three-point land and committed 17 turnovers.
"Credit to Little Rock – they have an outstanding ballclub and you can see why they were picked to win the OVC to start the year," Skyhawk head coach Jeremy Shulman said. "I love my team – you have to win games like this sometimes when you're not at your best. We struggled to make shots and take care of the ball but our guys found a way."
Triples from Deniusas and Filip Petkovski opened the game's scoring as UT Martin's defense kept the Trojans scoreless five-plus minutes into the contest. Little Rock soon went on a 9-1 run to take its first lead of the evening, taking a 12-8 advantage with 9:46 to go in the first half.
The Skyhawks reeled off eight unanswered points in the waning stages of the opening half, ignited by two more treys by Petkovski and Deniusas. That surge was good enough to give UT Martin a 23-21 edge at the halftime break. Deniusas' nine points paced all scorers while Nzeh and Johnathan Lawson had six points apiece for the Trojans in the first half.
A 7-0 Little Rock spurt nudged the Trojans ahead at the under-16-minute media timeout in the second half. A pair of AJ Hopkins three-pointers in a 1:51 stretch helped flip the Skyhawk deficit into a four-point lead (40-36) with 11 minutes remaining and UT Martin never trailed from there.
After Bukumirović's key trey at the 4:16 mark, Deniusas followed with a poster dunk and three-pointer from the right corner on back-to-back possessions. Little Rock rebounded a missed free throw with 12 seconds remaining to potentially send the game into overtime but the Skyhawk defense held strong.
UT Martin is back at home on Thursday, Feb. 5 as it hosts OVC rival Southern Indiana. Tipoff time is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
The victory improved UT Martin's record to 10-0 inside the Kathleen and Tom Elam Center in 2025-26. The ending provided plenty of drama as the score was knotted at 46-all with 4:50 to go. The Skyhawks took a five-point advantage (55-50) with 31 seconds remaining but had to endure a potential game-tying three-point try with one second left, officially sealing the win after the Trojan attempt rimmed off.
Matas Deniusas scored a game-high 17 points – including five in a row late – to lead UT Martin, who improved to 18-5 (10-2 Ohio Valley Conference). Andrija Bukumirović snapped the 46-46 tie with a big three-pointer, finishing the contest with 15 points plus team-highs of seven rebounds and three steals.
Little Rock (9-14, 6-6 OVC) was led by Braxton Bayless' 13 points while Kachi Nzeh (11 points) also scored in double figures. The Trojans were held to 26.7 percent (4-of-15) shooting from three-point land and committed 17 turnovers.
"Credit to Little Rock – they have an outstanding ballclub and you can see why they were picked to win the OVC to start the year," Skyhawk head coach Jeremy Shulman said. "I love my team – you have to win games like this sometimes when you're not at your best. We struggled to make shots and take care of the ball but our guys found a way."
Triples from Deniusas and Filip Petkovski opened the game's scoring as UT Martin's defense kept the Trojans scoreless five-plus minutes into the contest. Little Rock soon went on a 9-1 run to take its first lead of the evening, taking a 12-8 advantage with 9:46 to go in the first half.
The Skyhawks reeled off eight unanswered points in the waning stages of the opening half, ignited by two more treys by Petkovski and Deniusas. That surge was good enough to give UT Martin a 23-21 edge at the halftime break. Deniusas' nine points paced all scorers while Nzeh and Johnathan Lawson had six points apiece for the Trojans in the first half.
A 7-0 Little Rock spurt nudged the Trojans ahead at the under-16-minute media timeout in the second half. A pair of AJ Hopkins three-pointers in a 1:51 stretch helped flip the Skyhawk deficit into a four-point lead (40-36) with 11 minutes remaining and UT Martin never trailed from there.
After Bukumirović's key trey at the 4:16 mark, Deniusas followed with a poster dunk and three-pointer from the right corner on back-to-back possessions. Little Rock rebounded a missed free throw with 12 seconds remaining to potentially send the game into overtime but the Skyhawk defense held strong.
UT Martin is back at home on Thursday, Feb. 5 as it hosts OVC rival Southern Indiana. Tipoff time is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
Team Stats
LR
UTM
FG%
.442
.385
3FG%
.267
.278
FT%
.667
.500
RB
31
33
TO
17
17
STL
11
10
Game Leaders
Pts
17
FGM
6
3FGM
4
FTM
1
Pts
15
FGM
6
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
6
FGM
2
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
6
FGM
2
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G/F
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballG/F
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballSkyhawk Sports Talk - Season 3, Episode 21
Tuesday, February 03
Meet The Skyhawks - Luca Colceag
Friday, January 23
Meet The Skyhawks - Lamine Niang
Friday, January 23
Meet The Skyhawks - Filip Petkovski
Friday, January 23