By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech men's basketball team hits the road for a single Ohio Valley Conference match-up, heading east for a rematch with longtime league foe Morehead State Thursday evening at 6:00 p.m. CT in Johnson Arena.
Fans can follow the action via radio on 106.1 The Eagle with Rob Schabert on the call or stream the game on ESPN+ with Jared Stacy and Dean Hardin providing coverage.
Morehead State comes into the contest red hot and with a share of the lead in the OVC standings, currently a three-way tie with UT Martin and Southeast Missouri. The Eagles have won four straight in league action, all by single digits.
Last weekend, MSU edged a hungry Little Rock club, 76-72, before following it up with its second victory over SIUE in four games. The Eagles won a defensive struggle with the Cougars at home, 55-50. Thursday's affair will mark Morehead's third-straight home contest before hitting the road for a trio.
In the all-time series between the two OVC rivals, Morehead State leads with a 92-68 advantage. The Eagles hold a 51-16 lead in the series when competing in Morehead. Tech snapped a five-game skid to the Eagles in January's tilt and will look to end an eight-game slide when playing in Morehead.
The purple and gold overcame a double-digit deficit in the first half to take down Morehead State in the Hooper Eblen Center back on Jan. 12, pulling off a 79-62 decision as part of a five-game winning streak in OVC play.
The Golden Eagles enter Thursday following a heartbreaking loss to Little Rock on Saturday, a contest that saw the purple and gold nearly rally back from a 12-point deficit with under four minutes to play. The Trojans triumphed, 91-89, thanks in large part to big runs in each half and a dominant presence in the paint.
Despite the loss, a pair of Golden Eagles delivered career performances on the night, led by graduate Jaylen Sebree. The forward dropped a career-high 28 points on 11-for-16 shooting, adding a team-high six rebounds and five assists. Junior guard Jayvis Harvey turned in a career-best 24 points, sinking 7-of-11 attempts and a career-high 6-of-8 tries from downtown.
Junior guard Brett Thompson finished an impressive +20 for the night in 25 minutes off the bench, scoring eight points and dishing out a career-high eight assists. He also racked up four steals with 6-for-6 efficiency from the charity stripe. Graduate guard Ty Perry contributed 13 points and five rebounds.
Following Thursday's match-up, Tech will return home for a rematch against Southeast Missouri in a 3:00 p.m. CT bout on Saturday in the Hoop.
Photo by Thomas Corhern