By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – In the kind of contest you might expect between two in-state rivals, it was ETSU coming out on top of a physical, back-and-forth affair in Johnson City, as the Tennessee Tech men's basketball team fell to the Buccaneer, 73-72, at Freedom Hall.
The Golden Eagles (3-7) very nearly sent the game to overtime, as junior guard David Early's 3-point attempt to tie the contest missed the rim and senior guard Diante Wood was there for a put-back layup. It was a controversial ending to the day, as it appeared Wood was fouled while in the process of tipping the ball into the bucket.
The officials deemed no foul on the play and the Bucs (5-4) held on for the one-point victory. Neither side boasted huge advantages in any area of the contest, with the two sides virtually deadlocked all day.
Tech led the ball game at the half, 34-32, shooting more efficiently than the home squad. In the end, ETSU sunk one more triple than the Golden Eagles, with every other scoring stat matched. Both teams made 24 field goals and 18 free throws in the contest. The Bucs led in 3-pointers, 7-6.
Several Golden Eagles put forth strong individual efforts in the contest, led by senior guard Jayvis Harvey. The veteran dropped 20 points with five rebounds and four assists, sinking 8-of-10 tries from the charity stripe.
Sophomore guard Josiah Davis delivered another efficient performance for the purple and gold, producing a career-high 15 points on 5-for-7 shooting. Draining all five of his free-throw attempts, he also chipped in four rebounds.
Early turned in a pair of steals and four rebounds to go along with 13 points while Wood tacked on 11 points on 5-for-6 shooting from the line in his return to the court. Wood missed the previous seven games due to a lower-body injury.
Leading the purple and gold in rebounds with eight was sophomore forward Daniel Egbuniwe, who added five points, two assists, two steals, and a block to the mix as well.
Tech returns to the Hooper Eblen Center for a pair of home match-ups this week, starting with a 6:00 p.m. CT meeting against Bethel (Tenn.) on Tuesday. The weekend wraps up with a 3:00 p.m. rematch against North Alabama on Saturday.
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 Jim Dillon
