Eastern Illinois Panthers (13-19, 9-12 OVC) vs. UT Martin Skyhawks (21-10, 13-7 OVC)
Evansville, Indiana; Thursday, 7 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: UT Martin and Eastern Illinois meet in the OVC Tournament.
The Skyhawks have gone 13-7 against OVC opponents, with an 8-3 record in non-conference play. UT Martin leads the OVC in team defense, giving up 63.0 points while holding opponents to 38.6% shooting.
The Panthers’ record in OVC action is 9-12. Eastern Illinois has a 1-3 record in one-possession games.
UT Martin is shooting 42.4% from the field this season, 1.0 percentage point lower than the 43.4% Eastern Illinois allows to opponents. Eastern Illinois averages 67.2 points per game, 4.2 more than the 63.0 UT Martin allows to opponents.
The teams meet for the third time this season. UT Martin won 76-68 in the last matchup on Jan. 30. Andrija Bukumirovic led UT Martin with 21 points, and Terry McMorris led Eastern Illinois with 15 points.
TOP PERFORMERS: Bukumirovic is averaging 13.7 points and 7.9 rebounds for the Skyhawks. Matas Deniusas is averaging 11.4 points over the last 10 games.
Meechie White is averaging 10.4 points, 3.1 assists and two steals for the Panthers. Zion Fruster is averaging 15.1 points over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Skyhawks: 5-5, averaging 64.9 points, 35.6 rebounds, 13.4 assists, 9.8 steals and 3.9 blocks per game while shooting 39.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 60.1 points per game.
Panthers: 4-6, averaging 67.1 points, 29.3 rebounds, 11.0 assists, 7.9 steals and 2.9 blocks per game while shooting 42.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 71.7 points.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
