MARTIN, Tenn. – Another tight finish was in store for the University of Tennessee at Martin men’s basketball team this afternoon as the Skyhawks gutted out a 66-63 triumph over previously unbeaten Ohio Valley Conference squad Southeast Missouri at the Kathleen and Tom Elam Center.
Although UT Martin (6-9, 2-2 OVC) never trailed in the contest and held a lead for 38:22 of clock time, the visiting Redhawks pulled within two points with 23 seconds remaining. Filip Radaković split a pair of free throws six seconds later and the Skyhawk defense took it from there – successfully contesting a pair of potential game-tying attempts in the final seven seconds.
Four UT Martin players scored in double figures while a fifth Skyhawk finished just shy with nine points. Tarence Guinyard (14 points) led UT Martin in scoring for the sixth time in the last seven games. Carlos Cortijo equaled his career-high with 13 points in his first start since Dec. 11 while Andrija Bukumirović accounted for 11 points. Vladimer Salaridze hauled in his fourth double-double (10 points, 10 rebounds) of the season to go along with game-highs of four assists and three steals for a Skyhawk squad that knocked down 90.5 percent (19-for-21) of its free throw attempts. AJ Hopkins scored all nine of his points on a trio of three-pointers in the first half, helping UT Martin build a 33-23 advantage at the break.
Southeast Missouri (8-7, 3-1 OVC) was led by Braxton Stacker’s 22 points and four blocks off the bench. Teddy Washington, Jr. added 15 points and eight rebounds as the Redhawks were held to 39 percent shooting (23-of-59).
“For us to execute down the stretch against one of the best teams in the OVC, I give all the credit to our guys,” Skyhawk head coach Jeremy Shulman said. “After such a heartbreak on Thursday, to come back and prepare the way we did – they believed and I’m just so proud of them.”
Hopkins scored nine of UT Martin’s first 15 points as each side jostled for momentum early on. After the score was knotted at 17-all, the Skyhawks went on a 14-4 run with Bukumirović (rare four-point play and fast break layup) and Cortijo (three-pointer and old-fashioned three-point play) providing six points apiece during the surge in the closing moments of the opening half.
Hopkins’ nine points led all scorers at the halftime intermission while Washington, Jr. posted a team-high seven points for Southeast Missouri.
Back-to-back buckets from Salaridze tied UT Martin’s largest lead of the day at 39-27 with 18 minutes remaining. Two Radaković free throws kept the Skyhawk advantage at double digits (47-36) with 11:52 to go before the Redhawks went on a 9-0 run off three treys from Stacker.
Southeast Missouri never got any closer than two points the rest of the way. Salaridze had a big tip-in off a lobbed pass on an out-of-bounds play before Guinyard buried a pair of free throws in the final 1:35. Radaković’s aforementioned free throw and UT Martin’s lockdown defense followed to give the Skyhawks their seventh consecutive home victory in the all-time series against the Redhawks.
UT Martin goes on the road for a pair of games next week, starting with a matchup at Western Illinois on Thursday, Jan. 9. Tipoff from Macomb, Ill. is set for 7:30 p.m.