By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech men's basketball team hits the road for the final swing of the 2023-24 regular season, starting with a 7:30 p.m. CT tilt with in-state rival UT Martin on Thursday evening.
The action can be followed live via radio with Dylan Vazzano on the call on 106.1 The Eagle while video coverage will be available on ESPN+.
Thursday's match-up represents the 61st all-time between the two programs, with the Golden Eagles holding a decisive, 42-18 advantage in the series. When competing in Martin, Tech owns a 17-10 lead.
The Skyhawks claimed an 81-73 victory in the teams' first match-up this season in Cookeville back on December 30. Tech had slow offensive starts in both halves, needing to battle back from double-digit deficits twice and simply running out of time against the league's top offense.
Senior guard Jayvis Harvey led Tech with 22 points and chipped in five rebounds with three makes from distance. Fellow senior guard Diante Wood added 18 points off the bench, sinking 8-of-9 tries from the charity stripe. Junior forward Rodney Johnson Jr. and freshman guard Kyle Layton each tallied 13 points on the day.
The two rivals met three times during the 2022-23 campaign, with the purple and gold claiming victory twice. Tech earned an 84-80 overtime win in Martin on January 7 before the Skyhawks exacted some revenge in Cookeville with a 100-91 dub on February 18.
Squaring off one final time in the OVC Tournament Semifinals on March 3, the Golden Eagles took home the rubber match, advancing to the championship game with a 78-63 decision at the Ford Center in Evansville, Ind.
Tech forward Jaylen Sebree paced the effort with a 28-point, 14-rebound double-double while chipping in four assists. Brett Thompson added 19 points with an 8-for-12 showing at the charity stripe while Wood piped in nine points and four boards off the bench, his first game back after suffering a scary injury at Tennessee State in mid-February.
Last Saturday, the Golden Eagles earned a hard-nosed, 75-67 victory over Eastern Illinois on Senior Day in the Hooper Eblen Center. Tech was elite from 3-point range in the contest, sinking 13-of-25 tries from distance while limiting the Panthers to 5-for-20 efficiency from deep.
Sophomore forward Daniel Egbuniwe set the tone right out of the gate for Tech, scoring eight early points and finishing the evening with a career-high-tying 16 points on 6-for-10 shooting. He added seven rebounds to the mix as well.
Johnson provided the surge in the second half, contributing 14 of his team-high 18 points over the closing 20 minutes. The big man converted seven on his 10 shots from the field, buried a pair of treys, and snagged four boards.
Layton turned in a pair of career-high marks to help lead the way to the win, sinking 4-of-7 tries from 3-point range on his way to 14 points. Sophomore guard Josiah Davis continued his electric play, doing a little bit of everything with 12 points, a team-high eight rebounds, and four assists.
In his final contest in the Hoop, Harvey posted 11 points with a 3-for-7 performance from downtown. He added five rebounds, three dimes, and two steals to the stat sheet as well. Wood led the Golden Eagles with six assists and tacked on four points with six rebounds.
Photo by Patrick Clark, Athlete's Eye
