Thursday, March 5
Evansville, Ind.
6 p.m.
UT Martin
22-10,13-7OVC
66
vs
63
Eastern Illinois
13-20,8-12OVC
1
2
F
Eastern Ill.
22
41
63
UT Martin
27
39
66
UT Martin Advances To OVC Semifinals With 66-63 Win Over Eastern Illinois
3/5/2026 9:12:00 PM | Men's Basketball
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The No. 4 seeded University of Tennessee at Martin men's basketball team opened its stay in the OVC Basketball Championship by knocking off No. 8 seeded Eastern Illinois by a 66-63 margin to advance to the tournament semifinals on Friday night.
The Skyhawks (22-10) matched its all-time single-season wins record with their 22nd victory of the season, equaling record-setting performances by standout teams in 2008-09 and 2016-17. The win also marked a season-sweep of Eastern Illinois, picking up three wins over the Panthers on the campaign.
UT Martin had three players reach double figures with the trio of Matas Deniusas, Filip Radaković and Andrija Bukumirović combining to score 45 points in the contest. The tandem of Deniusas (17 points, 10 rebounds) and Radaković (17 points, four assists) led the team in the scoring column while Bukumirović chipped in his eighth double-double of the season with 11 points and 10 rebounds in the victory.
Gallery: (3-5-2026) MBB vs. Eastern Illinois - OVC Quarters
"I love how we responded tonight and I am so proud of our guys," UT Martin head coach Jeremy Shulman said. "We knew it was going to be a battle tonight, our guys were ready for it and it was next man up. We had great effort and resiliency. For our guys to do it our way on defense and execute down the stretch, we really have a connected group. The grind of a season is long and hard, but we just have great guys. We are playing in march and that's something to be excited about."
After picking up an upset victory in the first round, Eastern Illinois (13-20) challenged UT Martin throughout a game which featured 10 lead changes and six ties. A 50 percent shooting night in the second half kept the Panthers in the contest behind a game-high 18 points for Preston Turner off the bench. A well-rounded scoring effort saw EIU place four players in double figures with Terry McMorris (15 points, 12 rebounds), Kooper Jacobi (12 points) and Meechie White (12 points) filling the stat sheet.
UT Martin will advance to play No. 1 seed and regular season co-champion Tennessee State in the tournament semifinals on Friday, March 6. Action from the Ford Center is scheduled for 7 p.m. on ESPNU.
The Skyhawks (22-10) matched its all-time single-season wins record with their 22nd victory of the season, equaling record-setting performances by standout teams in 2008-09 and 2016-17. The win also marked a season-sweep of Eastern Illinois, picking up three wins over the Panthers on the campaign.
UT Martin had three players reach double figures with the trio of Matas Deniusas, Filip Radaković and Andrija Bukumirović combining to score 45 points in the contest. The tandem of Deniusas (17 points, 10 rebounds) and Radaković (17 points, four assists) led the team in the scoring column while Bukumirović chipped in his eighth double-double of the season with 11 points and 10 rebounds in the victory.
"I love how we responded tonight and I am so proud of our guys," UT Martin head coach Jeremy Shulman said. "We knew it was going to be a battle tonight, our guys were ready for it and it was next man up. We had great effort and resiliency. For our guys to do it our way on defense and execute down the stretch, we really have a connected group. The grind of a season is long and hard, but we just have great guys. We are playing in march and that's something to be excited about."
After picking up an upset victory in the first round, Eastern Illinois (13-20) challenged UT Martin throughout a game which featured 10 lead changes and six ties. A 50 percent shooting night in the second half kept the Panthers in the contest behind a game-high 18 points for Preston Turner off the bench. A well-rounded scoring effort saw EIU place four players in double figures with Terry McMorris (15 points, 12 rebounds), Kooper Jacobi (12 points) and Meechie White (12 points) filling the stat sheet.
UT Martin will advance to play No. 1 seed and regular season co-champion Tennessee State in the tournament semifinals on Friday, March 6. Action from the Ford Center is scheduled for 7 p.m. on ESPNU.
Team Stats
EIU
UTM
FG%
.434
.386
3FG%
.421
.276
FT%
.692
.778
RB
33
39
TO
12
10
STL
6
5
Game Leaders
Pts
17
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
11
Pts
17
FGM
6
3FGM
2
FTM
3
Pts
11
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G/F
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