Little Rock Defeats UT Martin Men's Basketball 67-65

Trojans score final 8 unanswered points, including game-winning shot at the buzzer

Published on Mar. 1, 2026

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Despite leading for nearly 27 minutes, the University of Tennessee at Martin men's basketball team fell to Little Rock 67-65 in a close contest at the Jack Stephens Center. The Skyhawks held a 6-point lead with 2:52 remaining, but the host Trojans ended the game on an 8-0 run, including a last-second floater to win it at the buzzer.

Why it matters

This marks the second time in the last four games that UT Martin has lost on a go-ahead field goal in the final five seconds, highlighting the team's struggles to close out close games. The loss also drops the Skyhawks to 20-9 overall and 12-6 in Ohio Valley Conference play.

The details

UT Martin junior Andrija Bukumirović led all scorers with 22 points and 8 rebounds, while AJ Hopkins added 11 points off the bench. The Skyhawks dominated the offensive glass, grabbing 25 offensive rebounds, but were unable to capitalize down the stretch. Little Rock was led by Cameron Wallace's 21 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals, while Kachi Nzeh had 18 points and Johnathan Lawson chipped in 15 points before Tuongthach Gatkek hit the game-winning shot.

  • The Skyhawks led by 6 points with 2:52 remaining in the game.
  • Little Rock scored the final 8 unanswered points, including the game-winning shot at the buzzer.

The players

Andrija Bukumirović

A junior from Sjenica, Serbia who led UT Martin with 22 points and 8 rebounds.

AJ Hopkins

Contributed 11 points off the bench for UT Martin.

Cameron Wallace

Led Little Rock with 21 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals.

Kachi Nzeh

Scored 18 points for Little Rock.

Tuongthach Gatkek

Hit the game-winning shot for Little Rock as time expired.

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What they’re saying

“We didn't execute down the stretch and that's my fault. We battled but we didn't make shots and didn't guard very well, which put ourselves in that type of situation. I love this team but at the end of the day, we're young and we have to grow up. We'll bounce back – this is two years in a row now where we've had some heartbreaking losses but we're due for some good luck in close games.”

— Jeremy Shulman, UT Martin Head Coach (thunderboltradio.com)

The takeaway

This close loss highlights the growing pains of UT Martin's young team, who have now suffered two heartbreaking defeats in the final seconds of close games this season. However, the Skyhawks' relentless effort on the offensive glass and their coach's optimism about the team's future suggest they are poised to bounce back and find success in close games down the stretch.