By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information Coordinator
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – A fiery hot start and strong showing on the offensive glass couldn't quite help the Tennessee Tech men's basketball team overcome a free throw differential of negative 15 and clutch shooting down the stretch as the Golden Eagles fell on the road to Alabama, 65-53.
At the end of the game, an endless list of positives could be made from the effort put together by the Tech squad, but in the end, a tough second half shooting from the field doomed the team's chances.
The Golden Eagles actually led early in the contest, coming out firing on all cylinders to start the game. Tech owned a 13-point advantage just over halfway through the affair, using a Torrance Rowe 3-pointer to jump out over the Crimson Tide, 25-12.
That's about when the fouls started to occur. And once they started, nothing could stop what snowballed over the next 12 minutes. Tech was called for 12 fouls over the time frame (compared to three for the Crimson Tide), and Alabama took advantage, knocking down 11 free throws that helped it claw back for a 37-36 halftime lead.
Tech kept the contest close nearly the entire second half, battling back-and-forth until a late 16-5 run from the Crimson Tide provided the final score in the contests, 65-53.
Thanks to strong efforts from Dwan Caldwell and Charles Jackson, the Golden Eagles dominated the offensive glass, grabbing 17 boards on offense as opposed to just eight for Alabama. Six of Caldwell's eight boards in the game came on the offensive glass, while four of Jackson's game-high 10 were offensive.
Jackson finished the game with his eighth double-double of the year in nine contests, scoring 14 points and collecting 10 rebounds. Caldwell added 12 points and eight boards while leading the Golden Eagles with 35 minutes of action.
Torrance Rowe also tallied double figures in points, scoring 10 on a four-for-seven effort from the floor.
Crimson Tide guard Rodney Cooper led all scorers, wrapping up the contest with 23 points, 11 of which came at the charity stripe.
The Tech D held the Southeastern Conference's leading scorer, Levi Randolph, to just 10 points in the contest, over eight points below the guard's season average.
The loss moved Tech to 5-4 on the year while Alabama upped its record to 6-2 in the 2014-15 season.
The Golden Eagles will continue its road swing on Monday, Dec. 15 as the team heads east and farther south for a match-up with North Florida in Jacksonville, Fla. Tech will face the Osprey in a 6 p.m. CT tilt for the first time in program history.
Photo by Rich Schmitt
