By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Facing its second contest in as many days, the Tennessee Tech men's basketball team showed improvement in its match-up with Northern Kentucky Thursday night, but the Golden Eagles ultimately fell to the Norse in the squads' first-ever match-up, 74-65.
Some of the same mistakes that plagued the purple and gold at Xavier on Wednesday evening made an appearance again Thursday, allowing Northern Kentucky to creep back from an early hole and take control of the game late in the second half.
"It's Groundhog Day," assistant coach Marcus King said. "We gave up too many offensive rebounds, we fouled too much and put them at the line, and when we went to the line, we didn't make our free throws. It goes back to our self-inflicted wounds. We're growing, but we've got to speed up the process if we want to win games."
The Norse used 18 rebounds on the offensive glass, 20 turnovers and an 11-for-23 showing at the charity stripe from the Golden Eagles to turn an eight-point Tech lead into a 15-point advantage of their own with four minutes to play.
Continuing its incredible effort and intensity it displayed all year in the second half, the Tech squad put forth a late rally, cutting the NKU lead to just six points with a little under two minutes in the contest. The Norse knocked down a dagger of a 3-pointer on their next possession, however, and rode free throws to the finish line for the nine-point victory.
"We played another team that is where we're trying to go," King explained. "Northern Kentucky has been in the NCAA Tournament three out of the last four years and we're aspiring to be like that. They made their free throws. They got on the offensive glass. They finished their defensive possessions. And those are things we have got to do if we want to put ourselves in that tier of NCAA Division I basketball programs.
The Golden Eagles showed life early in the contest, shooting 50 percent from the floor in the opening half before foul troubles really started to come to light. Sophomore point guard Keishawn Davidson was limited to just 20 minutes of action and would eventually foul out with seven points and four rebounds to his name. Five more Tech players totaled at least three fouls in the contest as well.
"I thought we sustained our energy and effort for 40 minutes, and that was a challenge we gave to the team going in," King said. "I'm very happy with that aspect. But the details and execution have to get better on the offensive side to limit the turnovers. Great transition defense starts with good offensive execution. We didn't have that and it let them get out in transition and get some buckets we didn't need to give up. But overall, our intensity has grown. In a 10-day time frame, these young guys have really bought into a lot of the things we're asking them to do. Now, we just have to sharpen the spear and we can't accept excuses."
There were several bright spots on the floor for the purple and gold on the night, led by freshman forward Austin Harvell, who recorded his first collegiate double-double. The rookie posted team-highs of 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Fellow freshman forward Kenny White Jr. tacked on 11 points, seven boards and three steals while registering zero turnovers. Seven-footer Marcus Hopkins contributed eight points in a limited 12 minutes of action. First-year forward Jalen Stayton posted his first collegiate points with a 3-pointer late in the ball game.
Junior guard Jr. Clay made his 2020-21 debut, playing 23 minutes off the bench after missing the team's first three contests of the year due to COVID protocols. He scored 10 points with a team-high three makes from downtown while dishing out three assists and recording a team-best two steals.
"He is our leader," King said of Clay's return to the floor. "He brings a mindset of Tennessee Tech basketball and he understands The Code, our ideology and our philosophy. He is an extension of [Head] Coach [John] Pelphrey on that floor and it showed tonight. What he was able to do tonight after being out due to COVID protocol was a big lift. He's going to help us get better, but he's not the cure. The cure is us doing the things we know how to do; rebounding the basketball, having good offensive execution, making our free throws and not fouling. Those are the things we have to focus on."
Tech will get a chance to focus on improving those aspects of its game with its third road tilt in five days Sunday. The Golden Eagles will visit Western Carolina for an 11:00 a.m. CT match-up, a rematch from last season's contest in Cookeville.
Photo courtesy of NKU Athletics
