By Canadian Press on February 15, 2025.
CHARLESTON, Ill. (AP) — Afan Trnka’s 18 points helped UT Martin defeat Eastern Illinois 72-68 on Saturday night. Trnka added nine assists and three steals for the Skyhawks (12-15, 8-8 Ohio Valley Conference). Vladimer Salaridze scored 16 points while shooting 6 for 12 (2 for 6 from 3-point range) and 2 of 4 from the free-throw line and added 12 rebounds. Tarence Guinyard went 6 of 12 from the field (1 for 4 from 3-point range) to finish with 13 points. Nakyel Shelton led the Panthers (8-19, 4-12) in scoring, finishing with 25 points. Artese Stapleton added 16 points and three steals for Eastern Illinois. Zion Fruster finished with 13 points, four assists and three steals. NEXT UP UT Martin next plays Tuesday against Tennessee State at home, and Eastern Illinois will visit Southern Indiana on Thursday. ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar. The Associated Press 10