The University of Tennessee at Martin men’s basketball team begins a two-game Ohio Valley Conference road trip against the Western Illinois Fighting Leathernecks. The game will air on ESPN+ at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, January 9.
The Skyhawks (6-9) enter this game with a 2-2 OVC record, losing by one point to defending league champions Morehead State and Little Rock, who shared the regular season title with UT Martin last season.
In league play, the Skyhawks lead the OVC in scoring defense (59.0 points per game), scoring margin (+8.0), and three-point field goal percentage (10.0 per game).
Overall, UT Martin is ranked eighth nationally in rebounds per game (42.67) and 15th in defensive rebounding (28.87) and three-point attempts per game (30.3).
Southeast Missouri’s first OVC loss came last Saturday, when the Skyhawks defeated them 66-63 at home.
Tarence Guinyard (14 points) led UT Martin in scoring for the sixth time in seven games, while Vladimer Salaridze recorded a game-high 10 rebounds, four assists, and three steals for his fourth double-double of the season.
Carlos Cortijo (career-high 13 points) and Andrija Bukumirović (11 points) led the Skyhawks, who held their opponent to under 40% shooting for the ninth time in 15 games this season.
Western Illinois leads the OVC in three-point field goal percentage (.407) and free throw percentage (.756) during league play.
Last Saturday, the Fighting Leathernecks finished their three-game OVC road trip with a 75-67 victory over Eastern Illinois.
Marko Maletic scored a game-high 25 points, thanks in large part to a 7-of-10 performance from three.
Newcomers Maletic (17.9 points per game, OVC-best) and Sean Smith (back-to-back triple-doubles last month) join reigning All-OVC second teamer Ryan Myers (15.2 points per game) to form a formidable trio for the Fighting Leathernecks.
Links to the ESPN+ stream, radio broadcast on WCMT 1410 AM/100.5 FM, live stats, and game notes are all available above.
