Featured Photo: Freshman guard Pedro Santos (#9) drives the ball against Tennessee State University at the Tom and Kathleen Elam Center in Martin, Tenn. on Feb. 28, 2026. (Pacer Photo / Miranda Conrad)

The UT Martin Skyhawks men’s basketball team suffers defeat in their regular season finale, falling 67-42 to the Tennessee State University (TSU) Tigers at home.

From the start, UT Martin had trouble finding rhythm offensively. High turnovers and low shooting percentage plagued the team. The Skyhawks had eight turnovers, allowing eight points off the turnovers. In addition, UT Martin shot a horrid 29% from the field. UT Martin entered halftime at a 14 point deficit, losing 35-21.

The struggles continued for the Skyhawks in the second half. TSU continued to add on to their lead, expanding it to as much as 33 points at one point in the second half.

When the game was out of reach, UT Martin Head Coach Jeremy Shulman made the decision to pull his high-usage players and insert his two graduating seniors, Luca Colceag and Lamine Niang, into the game to play for the final time in the Kathleen and Tom Elam Center. Both players received a standing ovation from the home crowd as they entered the game.

In a game in which UT Martin never held the lead, the team lost the regular season finale to their Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) rival TSU by a score of 67-42. In addition, UT Martin was outscored 23-2 in fast break points.

The TSU Tigers were led by senior guard Aaron Nkrumah, who took over the game from the start. Nkrumah led the team with 20 points, five rebounds and two assists. Nkrumah shot 46% from the field (7/15) and 40% (2/5) from beyond the arc.

The leading scorer for the Skyhawks was multi-time OVC freshman of the week, forward Matas Deniusas. Deniusas finished the game with 13 points, five rebounds and one assist.

The team now prepares to travel to Evansville, Indiana for the annual OVC Championship Tournament. With a win over Tennessee Tech on Feb. 26, UT Martin clinched a first round bye and the 4th seed in the OVC tournament. The Skyhawks are just a few wins away from a chance at cracking the March Madness bracket.

UT Martin plays the winner of 5th seed SIUE versus 8th seed Eastern Illinois on Thursday, March 5, with tip off set for 6 p.m. If UT Martin is victorious, they would get a rematch against the OVC regular season champion TSU Tigers in the semifinals of the tournament on Friday, March 6. The winner of that matchup would move on to Championship Saturday.