PEORIA, Ill. – Four double-digit scorers guided the University of Tennessee at Martin men’s basketball squad to another big victory this evening as the Skyhawks defeated Bradley by a 78-67 margin at Carver Arena.
As a result, UT Martin is now 3-0 for just the second time in its NCAA Division I history (since 1992) – also starting the 2020-21 campaign with three consecutive victories. The Skyhawk defense was the story as UT Martin held the Braves – who won 28 games and advanced to the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) quarterfinals last year – to 15 percent shooting (3-of-20) from beyond the three-point arc and 33.3 percent (17-for-51) overall.
Matas Deniusas and Andrija Bukumirović each scored a game-high 20 points while combining to shoot 66.7 percent (14-of-21) from the floor. Deniusas also grabbed a game-high seven rebounds with three assists while Bukumirović snared six boards.
Dragos Lungu (11 points, game-high seven rebounds, three steals) and Filip Petkovski (10 points, eight assists, six rebounds, two steals) also led a Skyhawk squad that shot 45.8 percent (11-for-24) from three-point land.
Bradley also saw four players score in double figures, led by Ahmet Jonovic’s 16 points. Jaquan Johnson tallied 14 points, seven rebounds, four assists and nine steals while AJ Smith and Timoty van der Knaap each scored 13 points apiece.
“I’m just so proud of our guys,” UT Martin head coach Jeremy Shulman said. “Coach Brian Wardle is one of the best coaches in the country at any level – Bradley has won 20-plus games three years in a row. I just wanted to execute well enough tonight to keep it close and give ourselves a chance. Our guys did even more than that – they’ve just bought into our system and each other. They’re just a joy to coach every day and we can’t wait to get back to work.”
The Skyhawks used a 10-2 run early to set the pace – leading for 25:46 of clock time by the end of the night. Midway through the first half, the Braves (1-2) scored eight unanswered to take a 20-15 advantage but back-to-back Bukumirović buckets reclaimed the lead for UT Martin at 31-28 with 3:56 to go before the break.
Despite the fact that the Skyhawks held Bradley without a field goal over the final 8:33 of the half, the Braves made a living at the free throw line to take a slim 36-34 edge at the intermission. Deniusas and Bukumirović each scored 13 points apiece in the first 20 minutes as Johnson’s nine points led Bradley, who scored 21 of their 36 points at the charity stripe after shooting 26.9 percent (7-of-26).
UT Martin came out firing in the second half as a Luca Colceag three-pointer with 13:25 remaining boosted the Skyhawk lead out to 48-41. Two more ties followed but after back-to-back triples from Petkovski and AJ Hopkins, UT Martin did not trail for the final 8:46.
Bukumirović and Afan Trnka splashed big three-pointers in a 44-second span to basically seal the win. Lungu also took over down the stretch, compiling seven points over the last 5:22 of clock time.
The Skyhawks continue their four-game road swing with a visit to Tallahassee, Fla. on Tuesday, Nov. 18 against Florida State. Tipoff time is set for 6 p.m. CT.
