Game 19
Lindenwood (11-7, 5-2 OVC)
at. UT Martin (14-4, 6-1 OVC)
Game Information:
Date: Saturday, January 17, 2026.
Location: Martin, TN.
Venue: Kathleen and Tom Elam Center
Tip-off: 3:30 PM CT
All-Time Series: 3-3
Last Meeting: W, 52-51
Live Stats: Lindenwood @ UT Martin
Watch: ESPN+

Last Time Out
Lindenwood snapped their two game losing streak last night with a huge 88-76 win on the road in front of over 3,000 fans at the Show Me Center in Cape Girardeau, Mo. Anias Futrell notched his first double-double of the season scoring a game-high 28 points on 8-13 shooting while pulling down 11 rebounds. Dontrez Williams also set a career-high for points scoring 22 and recorded a career-high seven steals in the victory over the Redhawks. Fellow Sophomore Jadis Jones recorded his sixth double-double of the season, scoring 20 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. The trio of Futrell, Williams, and Jones each scored 20 or more points in the same game for the first time since February 25, 2023 when Kevin Caldwell Jr., Cam Burrell, and Chris Childs all scored 20+ points against Little Rock in the program's first year of the Division I Era. 

The Lions erupted for 45 points in the opening half of the contest on the National stage, and went on a 22-3 run over a six minute stretch and didn't allow a SEMO basket for nearly seven minutes of game time. The defense forced nine first half turnovers that led to 10 points for the Black and Gold and took a dominating 45-18 lead into the locker room. The Redhawks battled back in the second half and cut the deficit to seven with 1:10 remaining in the game, but Lindenwood held on and knocked down crucial free throws down the stretch to improve to 5-2 in the OVC and 2-1 on the road during conference play. LU will now shift their attention to the leaders of the OVC in UT Martin, who is currently 8-0 on their home floor this season. 

Scouting The Skyhawks
UT Martin is currently leading the Ohio Valley Conference with a conference record of 6-1. Their lone loss in conference play was against Tennessee State on the road by a score of 78-71. The Skyhawks lead the OVC on the defensive side of the ball, giving up 63.43 points per game and limiting their opponents to 38.6% from the field through the first seven games of OVC play. UT Martin is balanced offensively, as four players are averaging 11 or more points per game on the 2025-26 season. They are led by Junior Guard/Forward Andrija Bukumirovic who is scoring 15.2 points per game and is shooting 43.2% from beyond the three point line and 55% from the floor. Bukumirovic won the OVC Player Of the Week award back on November 10, 2025 when he averaged 20.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.0 steals/game while hitting 88.2 percent (15-of-17) from the field, 77.8 percent (7-of-9) from 3-point range and 75 percent (3-of-4) from the free throw line. Defensively, Bukumirovic ranks second during conference play with 15 blocks while Freshman Forward Matas Deniusas is sixth with nine blocks. 

The Lions and Skyhawks are tied 3-3 in the all-time series but Lindenwood has won the last two matchups. In the most recent matchup between the two teams, the Lions narrowly defeated UT Martin by a score of 52-51 in Martin. Jadis Jones recorded a double-double in the contest scoring 11 points and grabbing 11 rebounds in that contest. The winner of Saturday's matchup will be at the top of the OVC standings with 12 games to play. 
 
Stats to Know

• The Lions are 12th in the nation in fast break points , averaging 17.44 fast break points per game. The 314 fast break points on the season leads the Ohio Valley Conference.
• Anias Futrell is averaging 21 points per game during OVC play, which leads the Ohio Valley Conference. Futrell has scored in double figures in six of seven Conference games, including two 30+ point performances against Western Illinois and Little Rock
• Jadis Jones leads the OVC in field goal percentage shooting 63.8% from the floor. He also ranks top three in ppg (16.9) and rpg (8.3) in the OVC.
• Dontrez Williams has 19 steals during conference play which leads the OVC. He recorded a career-high seven steals in the win over SEMO on Thursday night. 
• Lindenwood is five wins away from finishing above .500 in a single season since the 2017-18 season. (16-13) 

Up Next
The Lions return to Hyland Arena for the final time in the month of January as they are set to host Tennessee Tech and Tennessee State on January 22 and 24. Tip off on the 22nd against Tennessee Tech will be at 7:30 p.m.