By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – It took a second-half surge, but the Tennessee Tech men's basketball team walked out of the Hooper Eblen Center Tuesday evening with a hard-fought, 81-74 victory over in-state foe Bethel University.
The Wildcats (8-5) kicked off the evening on an absolute mission, seemingly making every shot they took on their way to a 46-40 halftime lead. The visitors from McKenzie shot a ridiculous 20-for-32 in the opening half, good for 62.5 percent efficiency with a particularly sharp 5-for-6 mark from downtown.
On the flip side, the Golden Eagles (4-7) turned in a pretty strong half of their own, firing 53.6 percent from the field and 7-for 14-from distance, keeping the contest in reach after battling back from a 13-point deficit midway through the opening stanza.
It didn't take long for the Tech squad to erase the deficit once the second half started, as senior guard Jayvis Harvey helped set the tone with a big triple to make it a one-possession ball game. Less than two minutes later, junior guard David Early buried a 3-pointer of his own that erased the Bethel lead for good and gave the Golden Eagles their first lead since 7-5 less than two minutes into the contest.
Bethel managed to square the score one final time with 14:26 to play, but a fast-break layup by sophomore guard Josiah Davis propelled the home purple and gold back into the lead for good. The Wildcats tried one more comeback bid, trimming a seven-point Tech advantage to just one point with 9:18 left on the clock
The Golden Eagles responded in kind, producing a 13-2 run to take a 79-67 lead and all but put the contest out of reach. A last-second, desperation trey from Bethel changed the final from a double-digit decision to a seven-point win, but Tech's defense held up in the second half overall, limiting the visitors to 28 points.
Harvey and Early delivered monster performances to lead the effort for the Cookeville crew on the night, combining for 50 of the team's 81 points. Early led the way with 26 points on 8-for-15 shooting, a 4-for-8 showing from deep, and a perfect 6-for-6 display from the charity stripe. He also chipped in five rebounds, five assists, and three steals.
Thanks to 9-of-14 efficiency from the field, Harvey dropped 24 points with a 6-for-9 explosion from beyond the arc. The Tech veteran also dished out a team-high six dimes and racked up three steals.
Davis joined the double-digit scoring squad, securing 11 points on 4-for-8 shooting with a monster, dunk that put a Wildcat on a poster. Sophomore forward Daniel Egbuniwe locked down team-highs of seven boards and four steals while contributing eight points and two blocks.
Senior guard Diante Wood added seven points, five rebounds, and four dimes to the mix in his first regular-season action in the Hoop this season. Sophomore big man David Craig sent back three Wildcat shot attempts to record a new career-high as well.
Tech will stay home for the weekend, hosting North Alabama in a 3:00 p.m. CT rematch 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.
Photo by Jim Dillon
