By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The turnover battle proved to be the difference maker in Saturday evening's contest between the Tennessee Tech and Eastern Kentucky men's basketball teams.
The purple and gold fought back from multiple double-digit deficits, but ultimately came up short in the Hooper Eblen Center, falling to the visitors from Richmond, Ky., 80-74. The Golden Eagles (5-16, 2-6) came out on top in most facets of the game, but it wasn't enough to overcome the Colonels' advantage in the turnover column or from beyond the 3-point line.
"Tonight was a hard-fought battle against a well-coached basketball team," Tech head coach John Pelphrey said. "They're a really talented, one-on-one, offensive team, and they really try to extend the floor. They create a lot of pressure situations and do a really good job of forcing turnovers, with their pressure. They are a really tough cover, for us, especially at the guard spot. Their big and physical and able to get where they want to go. They're good up front as well and they go to those guys a lot."
Eastern Kentucky (9-12, 6-2) forced 20 Tech miscues on the night and coupled it with a 10-for-23 showing from 3-point range. The Golden Eagles fired at a 51.8 percent clip from the floor, out-rebounded the Colonels, 38-26, and doubled their opponent's second-chance production. Tech also led the game in points in the paint, fast-break scores and bench points.
"Defensively, I thought we had a hard time and couple that with 20 turnovers, it's just too much of a deficit to overcome against a really good basketball that's performing well in our league," Pelphrey explained. "The good news for us, was on the offensive side of the basketball. When we didn't turn it over, we shot over 50 percent, probably for the first time all year. And there were still a lot of opportunities out there. I think Darius was 1-for-7 [from 3-point range] and Cade was 1-for-6 with some great looks."
The Tech offense was very distributed on the night, with all 10 Golden Eagles seeing game action scoring at least two points. Sophomore Jr. Clay led the effort with 14 points while hitting a trio of treys and snagging five rebounds.
Freshmen guards Tujautae Williams and Keishawn Davidson each contributed 10 points. Williams snagged seven boards while Davidson chipped in four assists. Also in double figures was sophomore Amadou Sylla, who turned in 10 points, eight rebounds and two blocks.
Redshirt freshman and the Special Olympics Player of the Game, Reece Wilkinson, enjoyed a solid night, finishing 4-for-4 with a season-high nine points. He also collected four rebounds.
"At the end of the day, when you get into conference play and go up against a really good basketball team, it's going to come down to one or two more stops in the first half, one or two more stops in the second half and us having a couple less turnovers in each half," Pelphrey said. "That kind of becomes the difference in the basketball game.
"I thought our guys competed the whole way through," he added. "I still think we're getting better, but I do really believe we have a lot of room for growth."
Tech will keep its four-game home stand in the Eblen Center rolling on Thursday, Jan. 30 with a nationally televised contest against in-state and Ohio Valley Conference rival Belmont. Set to appear on ESPNU, the game will tip at 8:00 p.m. CT following the Golden Eagle women's tilt with the Bruins, which begins at 5:00 p.m.
Photo by Thomas Corhern
