By Rob Schabert, Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – A fast start and a solid second half, plus 20-point performances by Ryan Martin and Aleksa Jugovic allowed Tennessee Tech to overcome a feisty challenge by Robert Morris Friday night and claim an 85-72 victory in Eblen Center in an Air Force Classic contest.
Tech (3-2) remains unbeaten at home this season with its third straight victory, and posted its 11th consecutive non-conference home victory.
Martin produced his first career double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds, providing the points inside, while Jugovic added 20 points plus seven rebounds and six assists in giving the Golden Eagles plenty of punch from outside. All three of Jugovic's numbers tied or set career-best marks, while Martin tied his career-high in points and set a new career-best on the glass.
The Golden Eagles provided loads of support, too. Torrance Rowe chipped in with 14 points, a career high six rebounds and eight assists; Hakeem Rogers scored 11 points; Anthony Morse had nine points, five rebounds and three blocks shots; Courtney Alexander finished with a career-high eight rebounds.
Robert Morris (0-6) was led by Rodney Pryor with 21 points, while Elijah Minnie added 18 points, six rebounds and three blocked shots. Billy Giles scored 16 along with six rebounds and three blocked shots.
Rowe dropped in a 3-pointer from 23 feet four minutes into the contest to cap an 11-0 run as the Golden Eagles opened the game on fire. That double-digit lead slowly disappeared, however, as Tech's shooting cooled off and the Colonials heated up. A 3-pointer from Minnie completed the long, slow comeback for the Colonials and tied the game at 29-29 with 5:23 to go in the half.
They didn't stop there, either. The Colonials went up 33-31 on a layup by Giles for their first lead of the night, then opened it to 38-31 on a 3-pointer by Minnie and a driving layup by Kavin Stewart, the second coming with 1:19 left in the half.
After hitting seven of their first 10 shots in the opening six minutes, the Golden Eagles lost the touch, hitting just 5-for-22 the rest of the way, heading to halftime with a 37.5 shooting mark. RMU, meanwhile, opened 3-for-11 and went 14-for-25 the rest of the half for a 47.5 shooting mark in the first half and led 41-35 at intermission.
A 3-pointer by Rowe and four free throws by Martin kept Tech close to open the second half, before Martin's layup with 14:28 tied thing at 48-48. Just 13 seconds later, Rogers' layup following a steal by Jugovic put Tech ahead with a lead they never relinquished.
Jugovic then scored 10 consecutive points over a four-minute span, fluffing Tech's lead back to double-digits for the first time since early in the first half. Another Jugovic 3-pointer with 3:17 to play made it a 17-point Tech lead, the largest of the night.
In all, the sophomore from Serbia scored 17 of his 20 points in the second half.
The best Robert Morris could do after that was trim the deficit to nine points, 81-72 on a 3-pointer by Pryor with 1:29 remaining.
Friday's game was just the first in a busy Thanksgiving week for the Golden Eagles. On Saturday, Tech hosts a doubleheader with the Golden Eagles facing UC Clermont at 5:30 p.m., followed Robert Morris and Mississippi Valley State in the nightcap at 730 p.m.
The weekend wraps up Sunday afternoon with the final game in the Air Force Classic as Tech hosts Mississippi Valley State at 2 p.m.
For ticket information, please call (931) 372-3940 or visit the Athletics Ticket Office in Eblen Center. The ticket office will open Saturday and Sunday one hour before tipoff.
GOLDEN NUGGETS: Tech's 19 assists was the most this season since 21 in the opener against Piedmont…in the last two games, Tech is 59-for-70 at the free throw line for 84.3 percent…both teams played into overtime in their last outing on Tuesday, Tech posting a comeback 86-82 win over Jackson State in Eblen Center while Robert Morris dropped a 81-71 contest at New Mexico State…The Colonials returned four starters from last year's team that won 20 games and played two games in the NCAA Tournament…Tennessee Tech's roster includes players from seven states plus two countries outside the USA…Robert Morris doesn't have any international players on its roster, but features players from nine different states…the game with Robert Morris was the second in a five-game home stretch for the Golden Eagles…
