By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech men's basketball team will take another swing in Nashville Saturday afternoon, as the Golden Eagles will face off in a doubleheader match-up with the Belmont Bruins at the Curb Event Center.
For the first time this season, the Tech men's squad will kick off an Ohio Valley Conference doubleheader day with the Golden Eagle women's team, facing off against Belmont at 2 p.m. CST. The women's game will follow at 4 p.m.
The Golden Eagles will look to bounce back after a tough, 64-56 loss to Tennessee State in Nashville Thursday evening. They will face off against a Bruins squad that is coming off a huge shooting night against Jacksonville State, an eventual 103-82 victory.
Tennessee Tech (10-12, 2-7) at Belmont (14-7, 6-2)
Saturday, Jan. 31, 2015
2:00 p.m. CST
Curb Event Center (5,000) – Nashville, Tenn.
The Broadcasts
TV: None
Radio: 106.1 The Eagle (Roger Ealey)
Webcast: OVC Digital Network
SETTING THE STAGE
Belmont comes into Saturday's match-up after exploding from beyond the 3-point line against Jacksonville State. The Bruins knocked down a scorching 17-of-24 attempts from 3-point range, leading to a huge 103-82 win over the Gamecocks to keep control of the OVC's East Division race. The Bruins have won three of the four contests against Tech since their arrival in the OVC, and are entering this most recent meeting on a four-game win streak.
Craig Bradshaw is the leading force on the scoreboard for the Bruins, averaging 18.8 points per game while shooting a team-high 42 percent from beyond the arc. He shoots nearly 50 percent from the field as well, while averaging 3.2 rebounds.
Belmont's post threat, Evan Bradds, has picked up play recently and now averages 14.6 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. He leads the OVC as the league's best shooter, knocking down 68.8 percent of his field goal attempts.
Reece Chamberlain provides a strong showing each night as the Bruins' point guard, averaging 8.4 points and 6.3 rebounds while leading the team with 128 assists and 39 steals.
The Golden Eagles will look to get one of the league's best frontcourt duos going early and often against the Bruins. Center Charles Jackson leads the team in scoring, rebounding, blocks and steals on the year, averaging 13.6 points and 9.2 rebounds. He has 29 rejections and 22 steals while also shooting just under 60 percent from the field. His 14 double-doubles on the year rank him second in the nation.
Dwan Caldwell comes off his third career double-double after recording 12 points and 11 rebounds against the Tigers. He is averaging 11.7 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. Torrance Rowe upped his scoring average to 10.8 points per game after leading the team with 16 points at TSU.
Photo by Jim Dillon
