By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – A full-fledged team effort lifted the Tennessee Tech men's basketball team to its first victory of the 2023-24 campaign Thursday evening, as the Golden Eagles defeated Midway in the Hooper Eblen Center, 82-70.
A number of Golden Eagles stuffed the stat sheets on the night, and the numbers supported an all-around display of teamwork. Tech (1-3) shot 56 percent from the floor in the contest, leading by as many as 22 with a little under seven minutes to play in the contest.
The purple and gold dished out a season-high 22 assists compared to just 11 turnovers in the ball game. The Cookeville crew also tallied seven blocks and 40 rebounds on the night. The visiting Eagles (1-4) closed the game with an 11-0 run to cut the deficit to 12 in the end.
Racking up the first double-double of the year for the purple and gold was sophomore guard Josiah Davis. The West Virginia transfer finished 5-for-8 from the floor on the night, earning his first career double-double with career highs of 14 points and 11 rebounds. He flirted with a triple-double, piling up a career-best six assists.
Just missing his own double-double on the night was sophomore forward Daniel Egbuniwe, who notched career-high marks of 16 points – on 6-for-9 shooting from the floor and a 3-for-4 showing at the charity stripe – nine rebounds, six blocks, five assists, and two steals. The Little Rock transfer recorded the most rejections by a Golden Eagle since Charles Jackson sent back six Austin Peay attempts back on Jan. 10, 2013.
Leading the Tech squad in scoring on the night was junior forward Rodney Johnson Jr., who got the purple and gold out to an early lead with eight of the team's first 10 points in the contest. The Weatherford College transfer registered career-highs of 18 points on 9-for-12 shooting, six rebounds, and five assists.
Senior guard Jayvis Harvey completed the evening 5-for-9 from the floor, locking down 13 points, four boards, two helpers, and a couple of makes from 3-point range. Also enjoying a strong night on the hardwood for the Golden Eagles was sophomore guard Grant Strong. The local Celina native tallied seven points, five rebounds, and three assists in nearly 30 minutes off the bench.
Sophomore center David Craig, a transfer from Mercer, posted five points on 3-for-4 shooting while rookie guard Kyle Layton chipped in five points with a make from distance.
The Golden Eagles will return to the floor Sunday afternoon, making a trip south to take on in-state rival Chattanooga in a 1:00 p.m. CT matinee in McKenzie Arena.
Photo by Jim Dillon
