By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
ST. CHARLES, Mo. – Grit, determination, and resolve were all on full display by the Tennessee Tech men's basketball team Saturday afternoon, as the Golden Eagles battled back from a double-digit deficit to defeat Lindenwood, 62-52, in overtime at Hyland Arena in St. Charles, Mo.
Things looked bleak early on for the visitors from Cookeville, as the Lions (8-17, 2-10) erupted out of the gates for a 14-0 lead behind a 5-for-7 start from the floor. Tech (8-17, 3-9) struggled to get its footing during the opening five-minute stretch, shooting just 1-for-8 while looking for answers on both sides of the ball.
The Golden Eagles found what they were looking for on the defensive end, locking things down and finding ways to keep the damage to a minimum while the offense tried to light a spark. It took some time, but eventually, the purple and gold began to chip away.
Following the third media break of the opening stanza at the 7:48 mark, the Lions pushed back out front by 12, leading 23-11. Tech flipped the switch and completely broke apart the Lindenwood offense, holding it scoreless the rest of the half while delivering a 12-0 run to square things at 23-23.
The Cookeville crew limited Lindenwood to just 1-for-15 shooting down the stretch and 3-for-20 after its hot start, setting up a back-and-forth, all-out war in the second period. Tech quickly took its first lead of the contest out of the locker room, but was never able to pull away by more than five as the clock ticked down.
With the score knotted at 46-46 and just 25 seconds left on the clock, sophomore Josiah Davis junior drew a flagrant foul while attempting to corral an offensive rebound. The guard calmly sunk a pair of free throws to give Tech the edge and the ball.
Lindenwood fouled with the Golden Eagles only in the single bonus, and after a Tech miss, took its final timeout of the half to draw up a final play. Darius Beane ran it to perfection, dropping in a floater with just two seconds on the clock to tie the game and force overtime after a desperation heave from the other side fell short.
But when the purple and gold could have easily crumbled behind the disappointment in letting its late lead slip away, the squad responded in the complete opposite fashion. Plainly stated, the Golden Eagles pummeled the Lions in overtime, out-scoring the home team 14-5 behind clutch plays from a number of heroes.
Davis, who tied his career-high scoring output of 20 points for the second straight game, provided the bookends in the extra session, starting with a nifty layup to pave the way. He sunk one of two free throws to ice the game with 24 seconds to play.
Despite not scoring in regulation, senior guard Jayvis Harvey drilled arguably the biggest shot of the day, sinking a massive triple to push the Tech lead out to five midway through overtime. Junior forward Rodney Johnson Jr. scored six points in the five-minute swan song while sophomore guard Daniel Egbuniwe came away with a fast-break dunk for an exclamation point.
The Tech defense held the Lions to just 28.6 percent shooting in the tilt, including a 3-for-17 performance from distance. The Golden Eagles also beat Lindenwood on the glass, using a 43-41 edge to help snap the team's six-game skid.
To go along with his game-high 20 points, Davis also led the purple and gold with a career-high 13 rebounds for his second career double-double. The Kitchener, Ontario native ended the day 8-for-15 from the floor with a pair of assists.
Johnson flirted with his own double-double, settling for 17 points and eight boards behind 7-for-13 shooting. Egbuniwe added seven points, two rebounds, and a game-high four blocks to the mix while senior guard Diante Wood produced seven points, seven rebounds, and a team-high three assists.
Coming off a career-high-tying eight points at Southeast Missouri on Thursday, junior guard Bogdan Zimonjic played a huge factor in Tech staying in the contest in the first half. The Belgrade, Serbia native scored all seven of his points in the opening 20 minutes, leading Tech at the break.
Tech will now embark on a four-game home stand, returning to Cookeville on short rest to host in-state rival Tennessee State on Tuesday evening in a 7:30 p.m. CT rematch from Jan. 18 in Nashville. The Golden Eagles then welcome in Western Illinois for the first time as Ohio Valley Conference foes on Thursday, another 7:30 p.m. affair in the Hooper Eblen Center.
Photo by David Snyder, Lindenwood Athletics
