By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech men's basketball team puts its five-game winning streak to the test Saturday afternoon, heading to Cape Girardeau, Mo. for a 4:00 p.m. CT test against Southeast Missouri at the Show Me Center.
Fans can follow the action via radio on 106.1 The Eagle with Dylan Vazzano on the call or stream the game on ESPN+ with Erik Sean providing coverage.
Southeast Missouri comes into the contest after falling at home to UT Martin, 80-66, on Thursday. The Redhawks had turned in three straight Ohio Valley Conference victories prior to Thursday's loss.
SEMO edged Little Rock on the road, 74-68, back on Jan. 7 before claiming a home win on Jan. 12 over Lindenwood, 94-71. They followed it up with a 91-86 victory at Morehead State on Jan. 14.
In the all-time series between the two OVC rivals, Tech leads with a 37-19 advantage. The Redhawks hold a slight, 14-12 lead in the series when competing in Cape Girardeau. The Tigers took over the series lead last season and have won each of the past three contests between the two programs.
Last season, Tennessee State claimed a pair of wins against the Golden Eagles, winning 80-64 in Nashville in mid-January before heading to Cookeville and playing nearly a perfect game. Tech has won four of the past five match-ups, but SEMO took the last tilt at the Show Me Center, 68-64, in 2021, as last season's tilt in Missouri was cancelled due to COVID-19 protocols.
The Golden Eagles enter Saturday's action after outlasting Little Rock, 77-75, in their first-ever match-up on Thursday in Little Rock. Tech earned its fifth straight OVC win for the first time since the 2006-07 season, moving into a tie with SIUE for first place in the league standings following the Cougars' loss. It also represented the team's first five-game winning streak of any kind since taking home six consecutive victories in non-conference action in 2017-18.
Graduate forward Jaylen Sebree led all scorers in the contest, dropping team-highs of 21 points, eight rebounds, and three assists on 8-for-14 shooting. He scored 17 in the second half alone, firing at a 6-for-9 clip.
Junior guard Brett Thompson made the most of his 25 minutes of action off the bench, finishing the night 5-for-6 from the floor and a perfect 3-for-3 from deep on his way to 15 points. Joining his teammates in double figures, junior Jayvis Harvey hit 5-of-9 tries from the field for 14 points.
Following Saturday's match-up, Tech will head home for a pair of tilts in the Hooper Eblen Center, starting with a nationally-televised affair on Thursday, Jan. 26 against SIUE. The Golden Eagles and Cougars will square off in a 6:00 p.m. affair on ESPNews. Tech will then host Little Rock on Saturday, Jan. 28 in a 3:00 p.m. contest.
Photo by Thomas Corhern