Feature Image: UT Martin’s Head Coach Jeremy Shulman goes over plays during a timeout during the basketball game against Little Rock on Feb. 3, 2026, at the Elam Center in Martin Tenn. (Pacer Photo / Kaniya Anthony)

The Ohio Valley Conference-leading UT Martin Skyhawks remain undefeated at home following a 55-52 win against the Little Rock Trojans.

Little Rock opened the game in a zone-heavy defense, a change from the man-to-man style usually played against UT Martin.

The lengthy Little Rock lineup played a physical brand of basketball that flustered UT Martin in the first half, as the Skyhawks shot 28.6% from the field.

The Skyhawks entered halftime with a low-scoring 23-21 lead over the Trojans, despite the shooting woes.

UT Martin opened the second half with high energy defense and the same game plan on offense: keep shooting the basketball. Skyhawks general manager and assistant coach Jawaan Holmes said that while the teams’ shooting percentage was low in the first half, they felt the team was taking the right shots.

“The biggest adjustment we made at half was just the mentality of not worrying about the shots going in or not, and owning the shots and having confidence in it no matter what,” said Holmes. “While we only shot 23% from three, we felt we were getting looks that we wanted.”

The Skyhawks did just that, shooting 33% from three and 50% from the field in the second half. In a game that came right down to the wire, freshman forward Matas Deniusas continuously battled back and forth with the Trojans. The coaching staff insured Deniusas knew the stakes of the game beforehand.

“We talked to him (Deniusas) yesterday about the history of the two teams, how competitive and how physical it was going to be, and his mentality was to be ready for this game,” said Holmes. “At the end of this game, he just became a warrior and took over.”

Deniusas finished the game with 17 points, six rebounds and one assist.

The game’s final possession came down to a contested three by Little Rock in an attempt to tie the game and force overtime. The shot was off the mark and resulted in a big win for the Skyhawks.

UT Martin host the Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles on Thursday, Feb. 5, with tipoff set for 7:30 p.m.