By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech men's basketball team wraps up its three-game homestand Monday evening, playing host to Eastern Kentucky in a 6:00 p.m. CT match-up in the Hooper Eblen Center.
Originally scheduled for 8:00 p.m., the contest was moved up two hours following the move of the Golden Eagle volleyball team's match on Monday against Eastern Illinois to Sunday, creating a doubleheader against the Panthers. The move also assists the visiting Colonels with postgame travel with inclement weather expected in the area.
Tennessee Tech (3-19, 3-13) vs. Eastern Kentucky (16-5, 10-4)
Monday, Feb. 15, 2021
6:00 p.m. CT
Eblen Center – Cookeville, Tenn.
The Broadcasts
TV: None
Radio: 106.1 The Eagle (Roger Ealey)
Webcast: ESPN+ (Dylan Vazzano & Michael Cooper)
SERIES/OPPONENT NOTES
Thursday marks the 142nd meeting all-time between Tech and Eastern Kentucky, with the Colonels owning a 78-63 lead in the series.
In Cookeville, the Golden Eagles hold a 38-31 advantage, but the Colonels have won each of the past two contests played in the Eblen Center between the two teams.
The series represents the fifth-longest in program history and one of six with 100 or more contests between the two teams.
Tech last won against the Colonels in the Eblen Center on Dec. 30, 2017. The Golden Eagles claimed a 77-69 victory before winning back-to-back road contests against EKU.
EKU has won four-straight games in the series, including both match-ups last season and the first meeting this year. In the last 10 games, the Colonels have claimed victory six times.
In last season's first tilt, in Richmond, Eastern Kentucky was lights out on offense in the first half, scoring 49 points for a 19-point halftime lead. Tech held the Colonels to just 25 in the second half, but would lose the game 74-59.
Darius Allen led Tech in the contest with 16 points while Jr. Clay chipped in 11 with eight rebounds.
In the rematch in Cookeville, Tech played much better overall, but EKU came out on top, 80-74.
Clay led the Golden Eagles with 14 points while Tujautae Williams produced 10 points and seven rebounds. Keishawn Davidson chipped in 10 points and four assists while Amadou Sylla hauled in a team-high eight boards with 10 points.
During this year's tilt, EKU won a barn-burner, 90-80. Keishawn Davidson (below) led the purple and gold with 18 points.
Clay turned in his second career double-double, producing 15 points and 10 assists. Damaria Franklin (14) and Shandon Goldman (12) joined their teammates in double figures.
QUICK HITTERS
Bouncing back from a tough loss to SIUE the Golden Eagles turned in one of its most complete performances during the John Pelphrey era, shooting 52.8 percent from the floor, 44.4 percent from 3-point range and 70.6 percent from the charity stripe against Eastern Illinois.
Highlighting the impressive night, the team compiled a whopping 25 assists on 28 made field goals, the team's highest total of helpers since dishing out 27 on Dec. 6, 2018 against Warren Wilson.
Tech also made just 11 turnovers in the contest while out-rebounding EIU, 35-26.
Shandon Goldman turned in a performance for the ages, missing a triple-double by just two assists. He snagged his first double-double in a Tech uniform, tallying career-highs of 20 points and eight assists while snagging a team-high 11 rebounds.
Jr. Clay had a big night, scoring a game-high 22 points on 9-for-16 shooting and 4-for-9 clip from distance. He dished out three assists while scoring 18 points in the first half alone.
Keishawn Davidson dropped 18 points, five rebounds and six helpers off the bench, sinking all six of his tries from the charity stripe.
At EKU, the Golden Eagles drilled 15 3-pointers in the contest, tied for the fourth-most in a single game in program history.
Tennessee Tech earned its first win of the 2020-21 campaign by defeating SEMO 72-63 on Dec. 30, 2020, holding off a second-half surge by the Redhawks.
The win snapped an 11-game skid for the Golden Eagles, the longest in program history, after going through arguably the toughest non-conference slate in the history of the team.
A year after facing nine opponents who had won 20 games the previous season, Tech loaded up on a tough gauntlet yet again for the 2020-21 campaign.
Six of Tech's seven non-conference opponents won at least 19 games a season ago, with No. 10-ranked Tennessee as the only team with less (17).
Six of Tech's seven non-conference games came on the road, with the match-up against in-state rival Chattanooga the lone tilt in the Eblen Center.
At the conclusion of its final non-conference tilt at Western Kentucky, Tech's seven foes not in the OVC had combined for a 44-10 mark in 2020-21.
OVC opponents Austin Peay, Belmont and Murray State each compiled 21 or more wins a season ago and will square off with Tech twice this season, just adding to the incredibly challenging slate in 2020-21.
Through six games, Tech already has more double-doubles (three) as it did all of last season (two).
Tech was predicted to finish 9th overall in the 2020-21 OVC race in voting by the league's head coaches and SIDs. The Golden Eagles were selected to finish 8th in the OVC media poll.
Last season, Jr. Clay and Keishawn Davidson became the first pair of Tech teammates to each total at least 100 assists in the same season since 2001-02. That year, Cameron Crisp dished out 122 dimes while DeAntoine Beasley doled out 104 assists.
With an 83-70 win over Martin Methodist on November 9, 2019, Tech head coach John Pelphrey earned his first victory as the leader of the Golden Eagle program.
Pelphrey, who was named the 13th head coach in Golden Eagle history in April, also earned career win No. 150 on the night, the same day the Tech football team earned its 150th victory in Tucker Stadium on the day they celebrated the 150th anniversary of college football.
Both Davidson and Sylla were honored by the OVC on Nov. 11, picking up two of the league's first three weekly honors of the 2019-20 campaign. Davidson was named OVC Freshman of the Week while Sylla was recognized as the OVC Newcomer of the Week.
It marked the first time since 2015-16 that Tech claimed two of the OVC's three weekly accolades. The last time it occurred was Feb. 1, 2016 when Torrance Rowe won OVC Player of the Week and both Ryan Martin and Hakeem Rogers shared OVC Newcomer of the Week honors.
TOP IN THEIR STATES
Three of Tech's players for the 2020-21 season boast a particularly impressive feat as part of their respective resumes, all finishing as finalists for the Mr. Basketball Award for their state during their high school careers.
Junior guard Jr. Clay was a two-time finalist at the TSSAA Division II Class AA level while at The McCallie School in Chattanooga, earning the honor in 2017 and again in 2018.
Transfer sophomore guard CJ Gettelfinger was one of three finalists at the TSSAA Division II Class A level in 2018 while competing for Grace Christian Academy in Knoxville.
Freshman forward Kenny White Jr. was named a finalist for Kentucky's Mr. Basketball Award in 2020 while starring for Madisonville-North Hopkins High School in Madisonville, Ky.
Head coach John Pelphrey, a University of Kentucky Hall of Famer, was a Mr. Basketball Award winner during his high school days, claiming the honor for Paintsville High School in 1987.
ROSTER BREAKDOWN
The 2020-21 Tech roster features 15 players (13 scholarship student-athletes) representing six states and three countries.
Six Golden Eagle players hail from the state Tennessee, while Arkansas and Illinois each boast two Tech players. Alabama, California and Kentucky are represented by one Tech player each.
Two international players round out the roster, including one Golden Eagle from Canada and another from Mali.
Tech has one graduate student, one senior, five juniors, four sophomores and four true freshmen.
Nine Golden Eagles stand 6-foot-5 or taller while the other six measure in at 6-foot-4 or shorter.
Nine members are new to the Tech squad for 2020-21, including Damaria Franklin, CJ Gettelfinger, Shandon Goldman, Austin Harvell, Marcus Hopkins, Taelon Peter, Jalen Stayton, Jamaal Thompson and Kenny White Jr.
Photo by Dave Winder, Murray State Media Relations
