EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. (Interstat) — Andrija Bukumirović scored 19 points and grabbed nine rebounds Saturday as Tennessee-Martin built a large early lead and withstood a fierce second-half rally to defeat SIU Edwardsville 81-76 in an Ohio Valley Conference men’s basketball game.

The Skyhawks led 44-32 at halftime at Vadalabene Center, but the Cougars surged after intermission behind Tyler King’s game-high 27 points. SIU Edwardsville closed the gap to a single possession late before Tennessee-Martin secured the win at the free-throw line. The Skyhawks improved to 20-7 overall, while the Cougars fell to 17-10. Attendance was 1,927.