By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech men's basketball team returns to the Hooper Eblen Center for a Saturday contest with Western Carolina. Tip is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. CT, which will represent all Saturday tip times for Tech men's basketball games in the Hoop this season.
Fans can stream the game on ESPN+ with Dylan Vazznao and Michael Cooper on the call and providing coverage.
Western Carolina enters the tilt with a 5-6 mark on the season after snapping a four-game skid last Saturday. The Catamounts cruised to a 99-55 victory over Brevard in Cullowhee, N.C.
Prior to the win, WCU dropped a 73-61 decision at UNC Asheville, home games against Gardner-Webb (71-55) and USC Upstate (79-64), and another road affair at Davidson, 72-64. The Catamounts won the McNeese Invitational prior to the losing streak, defeating the host Cowboys, 88-69 before outlasting Lamar, 98-91, and Lindenwood, 90-88, in a pair of overtime contests.
Saturday's showdown marks the 11th between the two programs all-time, with the series tied at 5-5 overall. Western Carolina won the first-ever meeting in 1942-43, but Tech answered with five straight victories. The Catamounts bounced back to take each of the last four match-ups, including the past two in overtime.
In 2020, WCU hit a game-winning, buzzer-beating, step-back three for a 76-75 win in an extra period. The Catamounts tied last year's meeting with just under 20 seconds to play in regulation, taking a 74-69 victory in the end.
Tech dropped a heartbreaker at Lipscomb on Wednesday, with the Bisons forcing a turnover and hitting a game-winning jumper with just seven seconds to play in the 64-63 decision. The loss undermined a fantastic defensive effort by the Cookeville crew, which held a Lipscomb squad averaging just under 80 points a game and shooting 50 percent from the floor to just 64 points and 38 percent efficiency.
Golden Eagle forward Jaylen Sebree put up a career showing on the offensive side of the ball, piling up a game-high and personal-best 25 points on 10-for-17 shooting. The graduate transfer also hauled in a team-high eight rebounds.
Junior guard Jayvis Harvey also finished in double figures, tallying 13 points with a 2-for-3 night from beyond the arc. Fellow junior Erik Oliver chipped in seven points to the effort.
The purple and gold will round out the non-conference season Tuesday evening with a home contest against Kentucky Christian. Tip is set for 6:00 p.m. CT in the Hoop.
Photo by Jim Dillon