NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Golden Eagle men's basketball team will root for history to be on its side in Friday evening's showdown against the Bisons of Lipscomb. Tech owns a commanding 40-5 all-time series lead over its in-state rivals from Nashville and will look to bounce back from a two-game skid.
Tennessee Tech (3-2, 0-0)
vs.
Lipscomb (2-3, 0-0)
Friday, Nov. 30, 2012 / 6:30 p.m. CST
Allen Arena - Nashville, Tenn.
The Broadcasts
TV: none
Radio: Fox Sports Radio, 106.1 The Eagle (Rob Schabert)
Webcast: ASUN.TV (Atlantic Sun)
Setting the Stage
The Golden Eagles will look to right the ship against the Bisons and end a two-game losing streak following a heartbreaking, three-point loss against Loyola Chicago on Wednesday. Tech will meet Lipscomb for the 46th time in program history, a history that has been a one-sided story since the beginning with the Golden Eagles owning a 40-5 lead.
In their previous 10 outings against the Bisons, the Golden Eagles have defeated their in-state foes nine times, including dropping 100 or more four times in that span. The only loss, which came in 2010-11, was a four point affair in Nashville. Tech won last season's meeting 89-87 in a thrilling overtime finish in Cookeville.
The Tennessee Tech defense will focus on stopping sophomore forward Malcolm Smith, who leads Lipscomb with 14.3 points per game and is coming off an impressive 22-point performance against OVC foe Murray State.
Also on the Golden Eagles' radar will be senior guard Deonte Alexander and junior guard Khion Sankey. Alexander, who ranks second on the team with 11.6 points per game, dropped 18 points against the Racers in the loss. Sankey nearly record a double-double against Murray State, pulling down 12 boards and scoring eight points in the contest. He leads Lipscomb with 9.4 rebounds per contest.
The Lipscomb defense is allowing opponents to shoot a measly .289 from the three-point line, a mark that the Golden Eagles will look to blow up with its 39% shooting from downtown.
Tech junior guard Matt Marseille had a coming out party against Loyola, scoring a career-high 21 points, including a whopping 19 in the second half alone. The Brooklyn, N.Y. native, who sat out the 2011-12 season with a knee injury, led a Golden Eagle comeback that shrank a 13-point deficit to just one point with seven seconds to play.
Junior guard Jeremiah Samarrippas also scored a Tech career-high, adding 15 points in the game, including 13 in the first half. The transfer from Nebraska shot 100% from the field, including going 3-3 from behind the arc in the first 20 minutes of action against the Ramblers.
A third Golden Eagle improved their career mark in points, as redshirt freshman Lanerryl Johnson scored 12 points in the Windy City.
To read more about the upcoming game and the TTU men's basketball team, click here.