By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information Coordinator
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech men's basketball team will look to collect its first Ohio Valley Conference victory of the 2014-15 season Saturday evening, as the Golden Eagles end its road trip to Illinois with a match-up against the Cougars of SIUE.
Part of another OVC doubleheader with the Tennessee Tech women's team, the men's squad will tip off in Edwardsville at 6:30 p.m. CST while the women will start their game at 2 p.m.
The Cougars enter the match-up on a four-game win streak and with a perfect 1-0 mark in league play. SIUE put together a strong effort in its OVC opener, defeating Jacksonville State handedly, 73-57, in the Vadalabene Center. Each of the Cougar's last four wins have come at home and Saturday's contest marks the team's fifth consecutive home contest.
Tech enters after a gut-wrenching loss at Eastern Illinois Thursday night, falling to the Panthers, 61-59, despite leading by four points with 16.7 seconds to play. The loss came after back-to-back victories by the Golden Eagles, including a huge home victory on Dec. 29 over North Florida.
Tennessee Tech (8-6) at SIUE (5-7)
Saturday, Jan. 3, 2014
6:30 p.m. CST
Vadalabene Center (4,000) – Edwardsville, Ill.
The Broadcasts
TV: Fox Sports Midwest
Radio: 106.1 The Eagle (Roger Ealey)
Webcast: OVC Digital Network
SETTING THE STAGE
Senior guard Kris Davis leads the Cougars in scoring, averaging 15.4 points per game while shooting 42.9 percent from the 3-point line. He also hauls in 3.9 rebounds while playing 32 minutes per game.
Fellow guard Donivine Stewart also adds double figure scoring to the mix, averaging 11.8 points while leading the team with 5.0 assists per game. He also leads the team with 20 steals on the year and ranks second on the squad with 4.9 rebounds per contest.
The Cougars represent a very different opponent than Eastern Illinois, averaging 72.5 points per game as a team, over 12 more points than the Panthers put up. On the flip side, SIUE allows more points per game, with opponents scoring 67.7 against the Cougars this season.
The Golden Eagles average slightly more offense, beating out the Cougars by 0.2 points per game with a 72.7 point average. Tech's defense also holds its opponents to fewer points, allowing just 66.1 per game while also forcing 14.4 turnovers.
Charles Jackson continues to lead the Golden Eagles all over the court, averaging a double-double with 13.9 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. The big man also leads the team in field goal percentage (58.6) and blocks (14) while ranking in the top three in the nation with 10 double-doubles on the year.
Forward Dwan Caldwell makes up the other half of the dominant frontcourt of the Golden Eagles, averaging 12.6 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. He also is a 76.2 percent free throw shooter, impressive for the big man from Los Angeles.
Coming back from injury, Torrance Rowe upped his scoring average to 10.2 points per game after the EIU contest. He adds just under two assists per game and averages 2.4 boards as well.
Photo by Sean Setters
