By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – A hot shooting stroke, particularly from downtown, was more than enough for the Tennessee Tech men's basketball team to kick off its Ohio Valley Conference season on a high note Thursday evening, as the Golden Eagles splashed the nets to the tune of a 94-84 victory over Eastern Illinois.
A game that featured 11 lead changes and plenty of 3-point action, the Golden Eagles (9-5, 1-0) rode the steaming hot approaches of sophomore Aleksa Jugovic and seniors Ryan Martin and Torrance Rowe to an all-important win over the Panthers (3-10, 0-1), one that preserved the team's undefeated mark (8-0) in the Eblen Center in 2015-16.
Tech shot a staggering 62.7 percent from the field and a blistering 54.2 percent from deep, the team's best performance from beyond the arc since hitting 57.1 percent (8-for-14) against Utah Valley on Nov. 30, 2013. One must go back even further to find a Golden Eagle squad to shoot that well and make at least 10 treys. Back to a Jan. 10, 2013 tilt at none other than Eastern Illinois. TTU shot 12-for-22 from downtown in the contest, earning a 77-73 victory.
Jugovic led the way, leading all scorers with a career-high 26 points, thanks to 5-of-8 shooting from 3-point range, 8-of-11 from the field and a perfect 5-for-5 showing from the charity stripe. The Leskovac, Serbia native also dished out a career-best seven assists in the contest while playing a game-high 38 minutes.
After falling into early foul trouble and subsequently taking a seat on the bench for all but eight minutes of the first half, Rowe blasted the scoreboard with 18 second-half points to finish 21 for the game. He also hit five treys on the day (on nine attempts) and posted four dimes while finished 7-for-12 from the field.
Martin battled inside the paint and stepped out for a couple of deep bombs, notching his third 20-point performance of the season. He finished 8-of-15 from the field in 30 minutes of action. Fellow big man Anthony Morse took care of the dirty business on the glass, hauling in a career-high 14 rebounds while also finishing a perfect 3-for-3 from the field. He posted eight points, just missing out on his second career double-double, and rejected three more shots, tying his career-high for a season with 32 on the year.
One game removed from posting a career mark in rebounding, Shirmane Thomas tied his best performance sharing the ball, collecting seven assists with just two turnovers.
The Panthers saw four of its own reach double figures in scoring, led by Cornell Johnston and Trae Anderson with 17 points apiece. Demetrius McReynolds added 16 and Casey Teson notched 12, all of which came from downtown. Johnston nearly posted a double-double, racking up nine assists.
Eastern Illinois looked very comfortable early in the contest, jumping out to a stunning 9-0 lead. Tech immediately answered, however, jumping on an 8-0 run of its own to make it contest that wouldn't see a double-digit lead until the closing minute.
The Golden Eagles ended the first half with a slight 38-35 advantage, before nearly blowing the roof off the Eblen Center with a 56-point second half showing. The Tech squad simply didn't miss over the final 20 minutes, firing at a 73.9 percent clip from the field and a mind-blowing 66.7 percent showing from 3-point range. Tech also hit 16 of its 22 second-half free throw attempts.
Jugovic, Rowe and Martin all notched 20 or more points, becoming the first Tech trio to accomplish the feat since Jan. 5, 2012. In a contest against Tennessee State, Jud Dillard (29), Kevin Murphy (29) and Zac Swansey (20) also accomplished the feat.
Tech's 23 assists marked the fourth time of the 2015-16 season that the squad dished out at least 20 dimes in a contest, doing so in victories over Piedmont College, UC Clermont and Mississippi Valley State. The Golden Eagles' 13 made 3-pointers represented the second-highest output from downtown on the year, trailing the team's 14 treys against Piedmont College.
The team's 62.7 field goal percentage represented the highest mark since shooting 64.4 percent from the floor in a 94-64 victory over Reinhardt College on Nov. 15, 2011.
Photo by Tony Marable
