The UT Martin Men’s Basketball Team picked up a massive win on Saturday. The Skyhawks defeated Eastern Illinois 80-to-79 in overtime, with Derek Hawthorne Jr. hitting the game-winning 3-pointer as time expired. The Skyhawks showed great resilience coming from behind after trailing by 6 with 3 minutes left in regulation, and by 4 with 1:20 to go in the overtime period before Hawthorne drilled the game-winner to beat the buzzer.
Quintin Dove led all scorers with 32 points and 10 rebounds, while Hawthorne poured in 18 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists. Eman Sertovic scored a career-high 14 points while playing the full 45 minutes of the contest.
The win keeps the Skyhawks OVC Tournament hopes alive heading into the final 2 weeks of the regular season, as they sit just one game outside of the final spot. The team returns to action Friday as they travel to Tennessee Tech.