By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – A late run by Butler left the Tennessee Tech men's basketball team on the wrong end of an 80-66 decision at Hinkle Fieldhouse Saturday afternoon, as the Golden Eagles (3-6) fell to the Bulldogs in an otherwise close battle in the historic venue in Indianapolis.
It was a game of runs throughout the day, with Butler turning in the first one of the tilt with a 14-0 run after the purple and gold collected its last lead of the game at 6-5. The Bulldogs led 22-8 before the Golden Eagles flipped the script, ripping off a 14-3 charge to pull back within three with just over six minutes in the first half.
Butler quickly pushed its advantage back to double digits with nine straight points over the next three minutes, but Tech once again had a response. Using an 11-4 run, the Cookeville crew closed the gap to four at the break.
In the second half, the Bulldogs tried several times to push back out front by double figures, but Tech kept them at arms reach, whittling down the deficit little by little. With 8:28 to play, the purple and gold trimmed the margin to its smallest point of the second stanza, closing to within one at 60-59.
A made triple and subsequent timeout gave Butler the necessary time to regroup, particularly on defense. The Bulldogs limited the Golden Eagles to just seven points the rest of the way while tallying 20 of their own for the deceptive 14-point win.
Two members of the purple and gold delivered career performances to help with the effort, paced by junior guard Jayvis Harvey. The Durham, N.C. native finished 7-for-10 from the field on his way to a career-high 16 points. Junior center Nolan Causwell produced a career-best 12 points with five rebounds and two steals in 17 minutes off the bench.
Graduate guard Ty Perry rounded the group of Golden Eagles in double figures, securing 14 points along the way. Fellow graduate transfer Jaylen Sebree led Tech with six rebounds while junior guard Erik Oliver dished out a team-best five dimes.
The Tech squad will continue its three-game road swing with a 4:30 p.m. CT match-up at Troy next Saturday, Dec. 10 in Troy, Ala.
Photo courtesy of John Fetch