MARTIN, Tenn. - After trailing by 14 points with 11 minutes remaining in the game, The University of Tennessee at Martin sliced its deficit to just two points. However, Eastern Illinois used a 12-0 run over the next three minutes and came away with an 83-68 win over the Skyhawks in the 2009-10 home finale.

Marquis Weddle poured in a game-high 18 points, hitting four of his eight attempts from beyond the three-point arc, while Benzor Simmons added 15 points in 16 minutes off the bench.

Andres Irarrazabal continued his sizzling hot play for UT Martin - scoring 13 points while pulling down a season-high eight rebounds and handing out a career-high five assists. In Irarrazabal's last four games, he is averaging 10.8 points and 5.3 rebounds while shooting 16-for-21 (76 percent) from the field and making 11 of his 12 free throw attempts (92 percent). Before last Tuesday's game, Irarrazabal had never reached double-figures in 68 career games, but he has accomplished that feat in three of his last four outings.

"Andres is laying it on the line for us," UT Martin head coach Jason James said. "He's been scoring on the block for us and I think those five assists are just kind of an indication of his feel for how to play. He's been playing really, really well."

For Eastern Illinois, Zavier Sanders came off the bench to convert eight of his 10 field goal attempts for 16 points in 13 minutes. James Hollowell and Jeremy Granger each chipped in 13 points, while TJ Marion scored 11 points to lead the Panthers, who shot 56 percent (33-for-59) from the floor. Eastern Illinois tallied 28 assists on its 33 made field goals.

"We just didn't play smart down the stretch," James said. "When we got the lead down to two, we didn't continue to do the things that got it to two. We got a little anxious but we're going to get better. We're going to continue to improve and get back to the top of the mountain."

After a tip-in by Hollowell began the game's scoring, the Skyhawks took a lead on an old-fashioned three-point play by Irarrazabal exactly one minute into the game. That ignited an 8-0 run for UT Martin, as the Skyhawks went ahead by six points on another lay-up by Irarrazabal with 16:47 to go in the first half.

UT Martin would hold on to the lead until a jumper by Curry McKinney tied the game at 13-all with just under 12 minutes left. A lay-up by Edin Suljic on Eastern Illinois' next possession capped off a 7-0 Panther run that gave them their first lead since the first bucket of the game.

The lead was short-lived, as a trey by Weddle put the Skyhawks back on top 16-15 with 10:02 to go in the first half. Two more ties ensued before a Marion lay-up at the 6:09 mark gave the Panthers the lead for good through the first half. Eastern Illinois used a 10-2 run over the last 4:52 of the first half to take a 35-25 lead into the locker room at the break.

Sanders and Weddle each had a game-high eight points at halftime, as the Panthers shot 52 percent (15-for-29) from the floor.

The Skyhawks came out hot in the second half, putting together a 7-2 run to get within five points and force Eastern Illinois coach Mike Miller to take a timeout. The Panthers responded with a 9-2 run of its own over a span of 1:53 to go back ahead by a dozen with 15:25 remaining.

UT Martin cut its lead back to single digits four more times before four different Skyhawks contributed points in a 10-2 run to cut its deficit to 63-61 with 6:24 to go.

Granger then scored seven consecutive points to begin Eastern Illinois' critical 12-0 run. A lay-up by Simmons with 1:36 left to play got the Skyhawks back to within 11 points, but that was ultimately as close as UT Martin would get. Ousmane Cisse answered with a lay-up on the other end, and Eastern Illinois hit all four of its free throw attempts down the stretch for the 83-68 win.

The Skyhawks will look to regroup on Saturday, Feb. 20, as they will travel to Muncie, Ind. to take on the Ball State Cardinals as part of the annual ESPN BracketBusters event. The Skyhawks are 3-1 all-time in BracketBuster games.

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