MARTIN, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee at Martin men’s basketball team led for almost 37 minutes of clock time this evening against Ohio Valley Conference preseason favorite Little Rock but the Trojans hit a go-ahead floater with two seconds remaining to escape the Kathleen and Tom Elam Center with a 57-56 win.
The eventual game-winner put a damper on another brilliant defensive effort by the Skyhawks (5-9, 1-2 OVC), who have now had five setbacks decided by four points or less or in overtime. UT Martin held Little Rock to 39.2 percent shooting (20-for-51) – including a 6-of-24 effort (25 percent) from three-point land – while forcing 17 turnovers.
Josué Grullon scored a game-high 20 points for the Skyhawks, eclipsing the 20-point plateau for the sixth time in 2024-25. Freshman Filip Radaković added eight points and seven rebounds while Andrija Bukumirović (eight points), Tarence Guinyard (seven points) and Matija Žužić (seven points) nearly hit double figures in the scoring column. Vladimer Salaridze snared a game-high eight rebounds for UT Martin, who led by as many as 13 points but was forced to navigate the final 18 minutes without starting point guard Afan Trnka because of injury.
Little Rock (8-5, 2-0 OVC) were led by 14 points out of Johnathan Lawson, including the eventual game-winning midrange jumper in the waning moments. Travonne Jackson added 12 points while Tuongthach Gatkek recorded nine points, 10 rebounds, five assists, four steals and two blocks.
The Skyhawks put on a defensive clinic early on, limiting the Trojans to two points in the first 8:50. Grullon followed with eight consecutive UT Martin points to give the Skyhawks an 18-13 edge at the under-eight-minute media timeout.
Moments later, back-to-back triples from Radaković capped off a 10-0 UT Martin run and gave the Skyhawks their biggest lead of the evening (28-15) at the 3:15 mark of the first half. UT Martin eventually took a 32-22 advantage into the locker room at the halftime break, keyed by 10 points out of Grullon.
Grullon buried a trifecta with 15:40 remaining to nudge the Skyhawk lead back out to 41-29. Little Rock did not get back within a single possession until the 6:31 mark but UT Martin battled back to take a 54-47 advantage with 1:50 to go.
However, the Trojans ended the game on a 10-2 run with Lawson scoring Little Rock’s final eight points in a span of 1:37.
The Skyhawks will look to rebound on Saturday, Jan. 4 when they play host to OVC rival Southeast Missouri. The contest is the backend of a doubleheader with the UT Martin women’s and will tipoff at 3:30 p.m. Hear the game on WCMT Sports Talk and News 1410 AM and 100.5 FM
