COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Steve Payne has sat on the bench and
called the shots a few times over the past few years at Tennessee
Tech, but on Tuesday night the veteran coach was able to officially
claim his first TTU career victory when the Golden Eagles downed
Reinhardt College, 94-64.
Payne has filled in as acting head coach on occasion during the
past five years when former head coach Mike Sutton was unable
because of an illness that eventually led to his retirement at the
end of last season.
On Friday night, in Payne’s debut as head coach, the Golden
Eagles were denied in the final minutes at the University of
Miami.
So, Payne patiently waited until Tuesday’s home opener, and
his high-octane squad paid dividends with a convincing, 30-point
win in front of 1,094 fans in Eblen Center.
Tech had plenty of individual standouts on a night when the Golden
Eagles shot 64.4 percent from the field and made 15 steals.
Jud Dillard topped Tech in scoring, leading five players in double
figures with 22 points, hitting 11-of-15 from the field. He also
had five rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Senior Liam McMorrow tied his career-high with 15 points on
7-for-10 shooting and finished one rebound short of a double-double
with nine as the Golden Eagles owned a 34-25 advantage on the
glass.
Kevin Murphy added 13 points to climb to ninth in career scoring
at Tech with 1,364 points. He is one point from matching Lorenzo
Coleman in ninth place, and nine from Cameron Crisp in eighth
place.
Point guard Zac Swansey was a perfect 6-for-6 from the field and
finished with 14 points, seven assists and five steals.
Freshman Javon McKay was also flawless in his shooting, hitting
5-for-5 and finishing with 11 points and five assists.
Reinhardt, which entered the game with a 3-1 record, wasn’t
able to keep pace with the Golden Eagles, placing a pair of players
in double figures. Tyler Blackwell led the way with 13 points and
Xavier Mayfield added 12. David Lawson and Tareek Roach each scored
seven for the Eagles, and Jerome Carmichael finished with five
points and a team-high five rebounds.
Tech shot 68.6 percent (24-for-35) in the first half while
building a 56-31 lead. Tech stayed hot in the second half by
hitting 58.3 percent (14-for-24). Reinhardt picked things up in the
second half, overcoming 34 percent first half shooting by draining
61 percent (14-for-23) in the second half.
The Golden Eagles (1-1) remain at home to host a big challenge
Saturday night when Appalachian State visits Eblen Center for a 7
p.m. contest.
For tickets, visit the Athletics Ticket Office in Eblen Center or
call (931) 372-3940.