Featured Photo: UT Martin freshman guard Matas Deniusas (44) dribbling the ball up the court to set up a play during the basketball game against SEMO on Feb. 17, 2026 at the Elam Center in Martin, Tenn. (Pacer photo/Kaniya Anthony)
The UT Martin Skyhawks defeated the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles 64-49 as the regular season is down to its final contest.
UT Martin opened the game with a goal to stay on the attack. On offense, the team was persistently attacking with the basketball for high percentage shots. On the defensive side of the floor, the team utilized blitzing double teams in an effort to force Tennessee Tech to make mistakes and force turnovers.
In addition, UT Martin used an unorthodox substitution method for the first half. Instead of small number substitutions, the team went with a hockey-style line change, substituting all five players at once, which gave the two groups of players continuity in the players on the court with them.
Skyhawks general manager and assistant coach Jawaan Holmes said that instead of going with a normal rotation, the team wanted to get as many guys involved as possible.
“Coach (Shulman) absolutely believes in everybody,” said Holmes. “We’ve been trying to find a eight or nine man rotation, but he (Shulman) literally believes in all the players. As the game goes on, we can tell who has a good feel for the game and then tighten the rotation in the second half”.
UT Martin closed out the first half ahead 23-22 after holding off a eight-point-run from Tennessee Tech, which did give the Golden Eagles a short lead.
UT Martin started the second half with a more condensed rotation and new lineup. After coming off the bench, junior forward Lamine Niang got the nod in the second half. Niang provided size and a spark for the Skyhawks offense and that continued for the remainder of the game.
Niang’s presence was unmatched by Tennessee Tech as the forward had his best offensive showing of the season. Niang finished with 12 points, four rebounds and two blocks before he fouled out late.
“Lamine is the ultimate human being, player and teammate,” said Holmes. “We always tell him we believe in him, and he feels that and believes that himself. He came into today extra confident and ready to go and I am really happy for him that he got to see some success tonight.”
UT Martin was able to pull away from Tennessee Tech with 41 points in the second half and secured the win. With one final regular season game left to play, the Skyhawks have clinched a top four spot in the Ohio Valley Conference tournament that begins on March 4. The top four spot guarantees the team a first round bye.
The Skyhawks regular season finale takes place at home against Tennessee State on Saturday, Feb. 28, with tip off set for 1 p.m. A win at home could move UT Martin into second place in the OVC, if Tennessee Tech is able to defeat SEMO in their season finale.
