By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The Tennessee Tech men's basketball team completed its 2017-18 non-conference schedule Thursday evening, falling on the road against the University of Indiana, 87-59.
The Golden Eagles (8-5) struggled to score against the Hoosiers (7-6), shooting just 37.5 percent from the floor, 27.8 percent from 3-point range and 54.5 percent at the charity stripe. Indiana caused problems in the paint for Tech, blocking 10 shots and forcing a total of 16 turnovers.
Indiana took advantage of the Golden Eagle turnovers, scoring 18 points off the Tech miscues as opposed to just four points allowed of its own mistakes.
Play proved to very physical in the paint, with Tech fighting and battling to 38 points down low. The Golden Eagles were able to draw just 14 fouls in the contest, leading to meager 11 attempts from the free-throw line. The Hoosiers totaled 25 attempts, hitting 19 at 76 percent.
Despite the constant contact on the block, two of Tech's top scorers did their work around the rim. Senior forward Mason Ramsey totaled 10 points while hitting 4-of-5 tries at the charity stripe. The Livingston, Tenn. native also hauled in eight rebounds.
Sophomore big man Micaiah Henry posted his second-straight double-digit scoring effort, tallying 10 points on 5-for-7 shooting from the floor. The man in the middle also snagged five boards and rejected two shots.
Graduate guard Kajon Mack led the Golden Eagles with 14 points on 50 percent shooting, while also chipping in five rebounds. Fellow graduate guard Shaq Calhoun came off the bench to chip in nine points on 4-for-8 shooting.
Indiana's Josh Newkirk led all scorers with 20 points and six assists while Robert Johnson added 12 points and Freddie McSwain, Jr. totaled 10.
The Golden Eagles will take a brief break for the holidays before returning to Cookeville to open up Ohio Valley Conference play on Thursday, Dec. 28 against Morehead State. The contest will represent a doubleheader with the Tech women's team. The Golden Eagle women are scheduled for a 5:30 p.m. CT tip while the men are slated to kick off at approximately 7:30 p.m.
Photo by Joe Eke