By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Not one, but two gritty rallies lifted the Tennessee Tech men's basketball team to an impressive, road win Wednesday afternoon, as the Golden Eagles edged Presbyterian in overtime, 79-75, at the Templeton Center in Clinton, S.C.
The purple and gold faced its fair share of challenges in the opening stanza, trailing by as many as 15 points to a Blue Hose squad (5-2) that knocked off Vanderbilt in their season opener in Nashville earlier this season. Presbyterian built a 40-28 halftime advantage on superior shooting and ball movement.
Tech (2-4) was held without an assist over the first 20 minutes of action on the day and was forced into eight turnovers. The Golden Eagles were also limited to just 41.7 percent shooting from the floor and an 0-for-4 mark from distance.
At the break, Tech head coach John Pelphrey and his staff pressed all the right buttons in their halftime adjustments, as the Cookeville crew erupted out of the gates to open the second half. Beginning with an old-fashioned, 3-point play converted by junior guard David Early with seven seconds left in the first stanza, the purple and gold delivered an 18-0 run.
After eliminating its deficit and taking as much as a four-point lead of its own, Tech saw the Blue Hose respond in kind. Following a miserable opening five minutes for the Blue Hose, the home team bounced back for a spell by building an 18-3 of its own.
Trailing by 11 with just over eight minutes to play, the Golden Eagles went back to work, slowly trimming the Presbyterian advantage away until the contest was squared once more at 61-61 with three minutes left on the clock. Tech took a two-point lead with a minute to play, but Blue Hose guard Kobe Stewart drained a clutch triple at the 50-second mark to put his squad back on top.
Golden Eagle senior guard Jayvis Harvey produced in the clutch as well, hitting a turn-around, fade-away from the paint to retake the lead with just 25 seconds in the contest. Presbyterian drew a foul on its next possession but was only able to convert one of the two free-throw attempts. Tech's final look at a potential winning shot just missed at the buzzer, sending the ball game to overtime.
The Tech crew was much more efficient over the second half, shooting 53.6 percent from the floor while holding the Blue Hose to just 30 percent from the field and 4-of-12 from downtown. The Golden Eagles moved the ball significantly better as well, racking up 10 dimes to just three turnovers.
The overtime period was mostly controlled by the purple and gold, as junior forward Rodney Johnson Jr. buried one of his team-high three triples to kickstart the session. Blue Hose forward Jonah Pierce looked to take over in OT, making back-to-back layups, plus a free throw, to put his squad back in charge at 72-70.
He had the opportunity to stretch the lead even further, drawing a foul with 2:15 on the clock, but a pair of misses at the charity stripe kept the deficit at two as Tech took back control. Early returned the favor with a couple of hard-nosed buckets, pushing the Golden Eagles back out front at 74-72.
Harvey made it a four-point advantage with just 23 seconds to play, sinking another impressive step-back jumper in the paint to all but solidify the victory.
Presbyterian knocked down one last triple to make it a one-point game with just under 20 seconds on the clock, but the Golden Eagles knocked down 3-of-4 free-throw attempts down the stretch while sophomore forward Daniel Egbuniwe drew a clutch charge call to end the Blue Hose comeback bid.
Despite the tough first half, Tech ended the day with a better shooting percentage than the Blue Hose, finishing 48.3 percent from the floor to Presbyterian's 40.9 percent mark. The Golden Eagles also earned a slight edge on the boards, securing 39 rebounds to the Blue Hose's 37.
Leading the effort for the Golden Eagles on Wednesday was Harvey, who dropped a game-high 22 points with nine rebounds and three assists. The Preseason All-Ohio Valley Conference Team selection finished 8-for-13 from the field and 6-for-8 from the free-throw line, finishing just two points shy of his career-high in scoring while playing 41 minutes.
Capturing his third-straight performance of at least 18 points, Johnson was remarkably efficient on his way to a career-high 21 points. The JUCO transfer was 6-for-8 from the floor, a perfect 3-of-3 from beyond the arc, and a perfect 6-for-6 from the charity stripe.
Joining the 20-point club with his own career-high showing was Early, who contributed 20 minutes and six boards in 42 minutes of action on the floor. The Marshall transfer shot 50 percent from the field while knocking down a pair of triples.
Sophomore guard Josiah Davis chipped in 10 points, eight rebounds, and a team-high six dimes to the effort while Egbuniwe added four points and four rebounds.
The purple and gold head back to Cookeville following a brief, Thanksgiving break, returning to the Hoop to host Western Carolina in a 6:00 p.m. CT affair on Tuesday, Nov. 28. It will represent the first of two contests for Tech as part of the Southeast Triangular multi-team event. The Golden Eagles will conclude the MTE on Thursday, Nov. 30 in a 7:00 p.m. contest at North Alabama.
Season tickets for Tennessee Tech men's basketball are now on sale. To order, call 931-372-3940, visit the Hooper Eblen Center ticket office, or visit TTUSports.com.
File photo by Thomas Corhern
