By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
MURRAY, Ky. – A feat not accomplished in 1,042 days, over two full conference seasons and just shy of three full years, the Tennessee Tech men's basketball team provided the Murray State Racers a loss on their home court in the CFSB Center Thursday night, becoming the first Ohio Valley Conference team to defeat the defending league champs in Murray, Ky. since the 2012-13 season.
The Golden Eagles (11-5, 3-0), off to their best start in OVC play since the 2005-06 season, snapped a 17-game conference win streak and 17-game home win streak in league play by the Racers (7-8, 1-1), defeating the home team 71-65 in just the team's second road victory of the year. The W marks the first by a Tech squad in Murray since the 2004-05 regular season championship team accomplished the feat and provided TTU with its best start to a season since kicking off the 2005-06 campaign with the same 11-5 record.
Just how did the Golden Eagles pull off the program's first road victory at its longest-standing rival in over a decade? The same way the team has put together one of the best starts in school history; free throw shooting.
Ranked 19th in the nation in free throw percentage entering Thursday's contest, the Tech squad attacked the bucket with the same kind of grit and ferocity that led to two double-digit comeback victories earlier this season. The Golden Eagles knocked down 34 of their 39 attempts from the charity stripe in the night's victory, the third time this season the team connected on at least 30 freebies.
Tech was 37-of-45 from the line in an 86-82 overtime victory against Jackson State and 31-for-38 in the team's comeback win over in-state rival East Tennessee State.
Struggling with turnovers and shooting the 3-ball, Tech willed its way to a contest that featured four lead changes and just one double-digit advantage all game. The Golden Eagles pulled away late to go up by as much as 10 points, but for the most part, the game was seemed to always be within two buckets each way.
Tech's ability to knock its free shots, which translated into a 15-for-15 start in the game, led to the squad keeping the lead late in the closing minutes, despite a flurry of fouls in Murray State's desperate attempt to even the score. And while the contest marked just the second time all season the Golden Eagles failed to outscore themselves in the second half (recording one less point over the game's final 20 minutes than the contests' first half), the adjustment in shot selection and strategy proved to be the difference maker.
The Golden Eagles attempted a season-low 10 3-pointers in the contest, hitting all three of their makes in the first half alone. Tech made just seven second-half field goals, but also attempted just 15, electing to run the clock and work to get either a wide-open look near the basket or draw contact and head to the line.
When combined with the decision to play primarily zone defense on a team showing no shyness about jacking up the three-ball, the Golden Eagles found the winning recipe.
Playing every minute of the contest and leading all scorers with 25 points, Torrance Rowe put together a masterful performance at the charity stripe, sinking 15 free throws the second time this season. He finished the Jackson State game 15-for-16 from the line on his way to a career-high 35 points.
Crucial to the team's performance in the paint, Ryan Martin notched himself his fourth career double-double, scoring 18 points and hauling in 11 rebounds. The senior went 4-for-7 from the field, 1-for-1 from downtown and was a perfect 9-for-9 at the charity stripe, upping his already impressive free throw percentage to a whopping 82.2 percent for the year.
Despite being limited to just 23 minutes due to foul trouble, big man Anthony Morse made his time on the court count, going 5-for-6 from the field to the tune of 11 points. He also corralled six rebounds and posted the 85th block of his career, moving him into sole possession of seventh place all-time in program history.
Sinking all six of the Racers' 3-point makes on the night and leading the home team in scoring was senior Jeffery Moss, who finished the game with 20 points. Bryce Jones added 13 points, thanks to an 11-for-12 showing from the line. Wayne Langston also scored in double figures, notching 11 points.
The Golden Eagles will now turn their attention to an in-state road battle with long-time rival Austin Peay Saturday evening. Tech will make the trek to Clarksville, Tenn. for a 6:30 p.m. CST contest (moved from the original time of 7 p.m.) following the Golden Eagle women's game at 5 p.m.
Photo by Thomas Corhern, Herald-Citizen