Dillard needs three points to reach 1,000

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COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee Tech will take the floor for a rare Monday night affair as Southern Illinois-Edwardsville visits the Eblen Center for a 7 p.m. tip-off. The game will be a rematch of the Cougars' 83-68 victory over the Golden Eagles earlier this season.

The Golden Eagles are coming off a split of consecutive road games, winning in a rout at Eastern Kentucky on Thursday and falling in a nip-and-tuck affair at Morehead State on Saturday. With a 13-9 overall record and a 5-4 mark in the Ohio Valley Conference, Tech sits in fifth in the league, a half-game out of third place.

Monday's game will likely see a milestone reached as junior guard Jud Dillard needs just three points to become the 34^th member of Tech's 1,000-point club. Dillard has scored 997 career points and is averaging 18.0 this season.

Tech leads the all-time series over the Cougars 2-1. The Golden Eagles swept SIUE in two games in 2010-11, then fell to the Cougars for the first time on Dec. 29. SIUE is a full member of the OVC for the first time this season but is ineligible for postseason tournament play. The Cougars will be eligible for the tournament for the first time in 2012-13.

SIUE shot 51 percent from the field en route to an 83-68 win over the Golden Eagles in what was the conference season-opener for both squads on Dec. 29. Tech cut an 11-point deficit to six points with 5:25 left, but could not get any closer, falling despite a 24-point performance from Dillard.

The Golden Eagles continue to feature the No. 3 scoring duo in NCAA Division I in Murphy (20.0 ppg) and Dillard (18.0 ppg), who combine to average 38.0 points per contest. Murphy leads the OVC in scoring while Dillard leads the conference in rebounding (8.5 per game). Zac Swansey also leads the conference in both assists (5.5 per game) and steals (2.5 per game).

Three SIUE players are currently scoring in double figures, led by junior forward Mark Yelovich, who averages 13.3 and 6.0 rebounds per contest. The Cougars also rely heavily on junior forward Jerome Jones (12.9 points, 6.2 rebounds) and freshman guard Kris Davis (11.9 points) for production.

The Cougars are 5-13 and 3-6 in OVC play and have lost five consecutive games after starting OVC play with a 3-1 record.

Tickets for Monday's game can be purchased at the Eblen Center box office, via telephone at (931) 372-3940 or on the web at www.TTUSports.com. The game will be broadcast on the Golden Eagle Sports Network, WHUB AM 1400 and on the Internet at www.1400TheHub.com. Fans can also watch a live webstream on OVCSports.tv or listen via Teamline by calling (216) 502-3200 and entering team code 0654. Cost is $5 per call.