Golden Eagles claim victory in Eblen Center, run past Hiwassee College, 80-47

Golden Eagles claim victory in Eblen Center, run past Hiwassee College, 80-47

By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech men's basketball team jumped back into the win column Monday evening, collecting a lopsided victory in the friendly confines of the Eblen Center, 80-47 over Hiwassee College.

The Golden Eagle defense was out in full force on the night, forcing 15 turnovers while holding the Tigers to a meager 22.4 percent shooting from the field and 20.0 percent from downtown. Tech's dominance in the paint extended throughout the interior of the circle, as the team out-rebounded Hiwassee 50-39 and blocked a season-high 10 shots.

On the flip side, the Tech offense was eager to spread the love around in the scoring column, with 10 of the 11 players to see the court contributing in that department. The Golden Eagles collected a season-high 27 assists in the contest, with sophomore Savonte Frazier leading the way with a career-best mark of seven.

Individually, Aleksa Jugovic posted his fourth 20-point outing of the season and second in-a-row while firing at a red-hot pace from the floor. The junior finished 8-for-12 while knocking down three of his seven attempts from beyond the arc, accounting for a team-high 20 points. He also dished out three assists.

Fellow junior Markell Henderson also posted double figures in the scoring column, boasting 12 points while also corralling a season-high four rebounds. Senior guard Hakeem Rogers marked Tech's third double-figure scorer, totaling 11 points behind a 4-for-9 night from the field. He also knocked down three triples in the contest.

Courtney Alexander II, Micaiah Henry and Frazier each finished the night with team-high totals of six rebounds while Ja'Cardo Hawkins and Mason Ramsey each added five. Ramsey also totaled a career-high five helpers. True freshman Colton Blevins proved highly productive in just six minutes of action, tallying seven points on 2-of-3 shooting and a 3-for-4 showing from the charity stripe.

The Golden Eagle fast break offense got out and running often in the affair, producing 22 points. Tech saw nearly half of its offensive output come from the bench, with the non-starting five tallying 36 of the team's 80 points.

Tech will return to action Thursday evening with some road action at in-state rival Lipscomb in a 6:30 p.m. CT affair.

Photo by Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information