By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Two members of the Tennessee Tech men's basketball team were recognized for their fantastic efforts in helping the Golden Eagles to a 4-0 record over the past week, with both players receiving weekly honors from the Ohio Valley Conference.
Senior guard Torrance Rowe was named the adidas® OVC Player of the Week following a stellar week that saw him average 18.8 points, 3.5 rebounds and 5.8 assists while shooting a hot 87.5 percent from the charity stripe.
Senior forward Ryan Martin earned adidas® OVC Newcomer of the Week accolades after posting averages of 16.5 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game while also shooting 62.5 percent from the field and a blistering 85.7 percent from the free throw line.
Both players took home the honors for the first times in their respective careers.
Rowe put together the best performance of his career in Tech's 86-82 overtime victory over Jackson State, lighting up the scoreboard for a career-high 35 points on the power of 15-for-17 shooting on free throws. His coast-to-coast layup just before the buzzer tied the game to send it to overtime.
He became the first Golden Eagle to score at least 35 points since Kevin Murphy dropped the program record of 50 in the 2011-12 season.
The Atlanta, Ga. native followed that performance up by flirting with a triple-double against Robert Morris, scoring 14 points, hauling in a career-high six rebounds and dishing out eight assists. He then led Tech in scoring again against Mississippi Valley State with 19 points. Rowe also earned College Sports Madness OVC Player of the Week for his efforts.
Martin posted his career high with 20 points against Jackson State, grabbing nine rebounds as well. He hit 11 of his 13 free throw attempts and hit a game-tying 3-pointer with 13 seconds to play in regulation.
The big man followed that up with his best game yet, recording his first career double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds against Robert Morris. He added 11 points and seven boards in limited minutes versus UC Clermont before rounding out the weekend with 15 points and nine more rebounds against Mississippi Valley State.
The Golden Eagles will wrap up their five-game home stand Wednesday evening with a 6 p.m. CST tilt against in-state rival East Tennessee State.
Photos by Jim Dillon
