By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information Coordinator
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Following a brief respite in the friendly confines of the Eblen Center, the Tennessee Tech men's basketball will return to the road for the fourth time in five games, embarking on what has become known around the Ohio Valley Conference as the "Death Valley" road trip.
The Golden Eagles will kick off the always tough two-game swing in Kentucky with a tilt against long-time rival Morehead State Thursday evening at 6 p.m. CST in Johnson Arena. The trip to Morehead, Ky., which kicks off a 10-game slate against the OVC East for the purple and gold, comes after a dominating victory for the Tech squad, a 36-point blowout of Southeast Missouri last Saturday.
Fans can listen to the action live on 106.1 The Eagle with Roger Ealey on the call or follow live via webstream on the OVC Digital Network.
Tennessee Tech (13-6, 5-1) at Morehead State (9-8, 3-2)
Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016
6:00 p.m. CST
Johnson Arena (6,500) – Morehead, Ky.
The Broadcasts
TV: None
Radio: 106.1 The Eagle (Roger Ealey)
Webcast: OVC Digital Network
ABOUT MOREHEAD STATE
Tech hits the highway for its fourth road game in its last five contests, opening OVC East divisional play at Morehead State in a 6 p.m. CST tilt on Thursday, Jan. 21.
Morehead State is in its fourth season under the direction of head coach Sean Woods.
The Eagles are currently 9-8 overall and 3-2 in OVC play, coming off an overtime road loss at Eastern Illinois Saturday evening.
This season, Morehead State is 6-1 at home and 3-7 on the road.
Last season, the Eagles compiled a 17-17 overall record and 10-6 mark in the OVC, finishing 3rd in the East Division regular season standings and fifth overall.
This marks the 145th meeting all-time between the two programs, with Morehead owning an 80-64 lead. Tech is just 18-49 all-time against the Eagles in Morehead.
The Eagles claimed each of last season's match-ups with a 78-74 victory in Cookeville and 86-73 win in Morehead.
Morehead State has won three straight in what represents the second-longest series against an opponent in Tech history.
Morehead State is led by Corban Collins, who posts team-bests with 12.8 points and 3.5 assists per game. He is shooting 42.7 percent from 3-point range as well.
DeJuan Marrero adds a team-high 7.9 rebounds to the mix, as well as 8.1 points per game.
Morehead State ranks as the OVC's top scoring defense, holding opponents to 65.7 points per game. Tech is the league's third-best scoring offense, dropping 80.0 points per game.
UT MARTIN RECAP
Tech rebounded from its first conference loss by dominating Southeast Missouri from start to finish Saturday evening, defeating the Redhawks, 91-55, in the Hoop.
The Golden Eagles led by as many as 39 in the contest, owning a 30-point halftime advantage while shooting over 50 percent for the fifth time in six games.
For the sixth time this season, Tech scored at least 90 points, a far cry from the last season when the team never cracked the 90-point mark.
The 36-point victory marked the most lopsided victory by the Golden Eagles over an OVC opponent since the 1994-95 squad defeated Southeast Missouri 97-58.
Ten of the 12 players that saw action for the purple and gold scored at least three points, with eight of them sinking at least one shot from beyond the arc.
Sophomore Aleksa Jugovic kept his hot streak rolling, making a run at the program record for 3-pointers in a single contest.
In just 23 minutes of action, the guard dropped a career-high 27 points while sinking 7-of-11 from downtown, including a red-hot 7-for-9 over the opening 13 minutes of the contest.
The native of Leskovac, Serbia also added four rebounds while finishing the night 9-for-13 from the field.
Sophomore and former walk-on Mason Ramsey made his first career start in place of an injured Ryan Martin (who played just six minutes in the contest). The forward dropped 10 points, hauled in a team-high seven rebounds and rejected two shots.
Anthony Morse scored in double-figures for the fifth consecutive game, notching 15 points while going 6-for-7 from the field for the third consecutive contest.
Torrance Rowe played distributor on the night, dishing out a career-high 12 assists in just 24 minutes on the floor. He also corralled a career-high six rebounds while chipping in five points.
CAPTAIN COMEBACK
Named one of two team captains following last season, Torrance Rowe has accepted the role again and is leading by example.
For the seventh time in two years, the Golden Eagles completed a comeback of 10 points or more with Rowe making a large impact on the outcome.
Facing Miami (Ohio) at home, the Rowe led Tech back from a 12-point deficit thanks to five 3-pointers and 23 total points, including 13 in the second half.
After erasing a 16-point deficit that included a 14-point advantage in favor of Lipscomb at the half, the Bisons' Nathan Moran picked Rowe's pocket at half court for a wide open layup and 78-76 lead with 17 seconds to play.
Rowe answered the bell, however, draining the game-winning 3-pointer with just eight seconds left on the scoreboard, his second game-winning three of his career.
Down by 15 points with just over 10 minutes to play Tech rallied to tie in-state rival East Tennessee State with a little over three minutes left thanks to a 3-pointer by Aleksa Jugovic, assisted by Rowe.
The senior guard then hit the final free throw to give Tech its two-point cushion that would eventually result in the final score of 63-61.
With just five seconds remaining on the clock and Tech trailing Jackson State 71-69, Rowe raced the length of the court just in time to toss in a layup and beat the buzzer to knot things at 71. Tech overcame a 10-point, second-half deficit to defeat the Tigers 86-82 in overtime.
Rowe scored 17 of the team's final 28 points, all coming with less than three minutes to play in the second half.
Familiar with rallying his troops, Rowe showed the ability to put the team on his back last season in a thrilling, comeback victory over Chattanooga.
Trailing by as many as 19 points in the second half, the senior scored a then-career-high 18 points in leading the Golden Eagles to a 69-67 victory.
With the score tied at 65 with 30 seconds remaining, he drilled the game-winning three to cap the remarkable turnaround.
At Murray State, he set a program record for highest free throw percentage in a game, sinking all 15 of his attempts at the line. The previous record belonged to Jud Dillard who went 14-for-14 against Jacksonville State during the 2012-13 season.
This season, Rowe leads Tech in scoring with 16.7 points per game, good enough to rank fourth in the OVC, and with 4.8 assists per game, ranking fourth in the league.
T-Rowe owns an 86.7 percent shooting touch from the charity stripe and has dished out 91 assists while playing just under 33 minutes per game.
BIG ANT'S BLOCK PARTY
Adept at rejecting shots around the bucket since his arrival in Cookeville in 2012, Anthony Morse has climbed his way up the all-time list for career blocks.
After blocking one more shot at UT Martin, Morse now has 88 in his career and has moved into sole possession of fifth place all-time in Tech history. He needs 11 more blocks to pass Bassey Inameti for sole possession of fourth place.
At the conclusion of his career in 1997, only three players (Adonal Foyle, Tim Duncan, and Alonzo Mourning) had more blocks in NCAA history than Tech's all-time leader, the late, great Lorenzo Coleman. With 439 rejections, he still sits 12th all-time.
Against Eastern Illinois, Morse hauled in 14 rebounds for a career-best mark, including 10 on the defensive glass alone.
Facing SIUE, the big man dominated the paint to the tune of a career-high 17 points, chipping in seven rebounds.
He gathered his second double-double with 12 points and 10 boards at APSU.
On the year, Morse ranks second in the OVC with 1.9 blocks per game. He ranks third in the league with a 64.2 field goal percentage and also sits in the top 10 in rebounding with 6.4 boards per game.
GIVE ME SOME SUGAR
Off to a strong start in his sophomore campaign, Aleksa Jugovic ranks as the third highest scorer on the Golden Eagle roster.
The native of Serbia owns five 20-point outings to his credit this season, including his career-high 27 coming against Southeast Missouri. Jugovic went 9-of-13 from the field while hitting 7-of-11 3-pointers and both free throw attempts.
He ranks fourth in the OVC in 3-point shooting at 43.6 percent, owning more makes and attempts than the other three players ahead of him.
Facing Eastern Illinois, he dropped 26 points on 8-of-11 shooting, including 5-of-8 from deep.
Against SIUE, he dished out a career-high eight assists, just a game after doling out seven dimes against Eastern Illinois.
Jugovic dropped 25 points on 10-of-13 shooting at UT Martin, sinking all six of his first half field goal attempts. He was 5-for-7 from downtown as well.
Fans can follow Jugovic on Twitter under his handle/nickname @SerbianSugar.
Between his junior and senior years in high school, Jugovic starred for the Serbian U-18 national team, starting at point guard at the 2013 FIBA Europe U-18 Championships.
He averaged a team-high 30.2 minutes while recording 8.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.5 steals per game.
The sophomore is one of three current Tech players to have earned adidas® OVC Freshman of the Week, having taken home the honor three times in 2014-15.
Jugovic was recruited by assistant coach Frank Davis, Tech's all-time career leader in 3-point field goals made (251) and 3-point field goal percentage (.407). The former Tech standout believes Jugovic can break both records in his time in a Tech uniform, and the numbers support that claim so far.
ONE SHOT, ONE OPPORTUNITY
After receiving just one year of eligibility from the NCAA following his transfer from South Plains College, Ryan Martin is out to make the most of his lone season at the Division I level.
The native of London, England was heavily recruited by St. John's University and drew interest from Arizona State, Gonzaga, VCU, Utah State and Louisiana, but the uncertainty of his status with the NCAA cooled most teams away from the big man.
Steve Payne loves Martin's energy level, raving about a motor that never seems to quit. He likes that the Brit plays with emotion and can use it to his advantage.
The senior possesses great rebounding ability and the option to step back and knock down shots from beyond the arc.
Against Robert Morris, Martin tied his career-high in points with 20 and added 10 boards. It marked his first double-double.
He tallied his fourth career double-double in Tech's victory at Murray State, scoring 18 points and grabbing 11 rebounds while going 9-for-9 from the free throw line.
Against SIUE, Martin dominated inside for a career-high 26 points, going 8-for-13 from the field and 9-of-10 from the charity stripe. He added seven rebounds as well.
On the year, Martin is averaging 14.6 points and 7.7 rebounds, the best mark on the team and sixth best in the league. He ranks seventh in the OVC in free throw percentage, hitting at an .802 clip.
YEAR IN RESIDENCY
Following a redshirt season in 2014-15, Savonte Frazier made his Golden Eagle debut against Piedmont College, dishing out five assists and hitting his lone field goal attempt, a 3-pointer, to finish with three points.
Steve Payne raved about his improvement over the summer, making note of his improved strength and shooting ability.
Payne also was quick to talk about his strong leadership ability, which he has displayed since day one in Cookeville, which all starts with his drive and toughness.
EARNING A SPOT
A walk-on to the Tech roster back during the 2013-14 season, Mason Ramsey has done plenty to earn the respect of his teammates and coaches in his two season in the purple and gold.
The local Livingston, Tenn. native was awarded a scholarship by Steve Payne following the 2014-15 season, Ramsey's first year of action on the court in Eblen Center.
After redshirting in 2013-14, Ramsey became the first Tech freshman since 1986-87 to open his career with a double-double, posting 14 points and 14 rebounds.
GOOD GENES
Courtney Alexander II has one of the best role models in which to model his game after that a freshman collegiate player can have. And he lives in the same house.
His father, Courtney Alexander Sr., was the 13th overall selection by the Orlando Magic in the 2000 NBA Draft.
Courtney Sr. went on to play three seasons in the Association, including stints with Dallas, Washington and New Orleans.
In college, he led the NCAA in scoring with 24.8 points per game as a senior at Fresno State.
Alexander II notched his first career double-double against Mississippi Valley State, posting career-highs with 14 points and 10 rebounds. He has four games with seven or more boards this season.
SOUTHPAWS
True freshman Courtney Alexander II is changing the hand he shoots with for the second time in his young career. As a prep player, the forward shot primarily with his left hand, making the switch to his right during his senior season. The rookie began the transition back to his left hand for the 2015-16 season in October.
Torrance Rowe also shoots left-handed and former Golden Eagle and current Graduate Assistant Manager Mitchell Hill was a southpaw during his Tech career as well.
ON THE DEFENSIVE
Steve Payne listed Shirmane Thomas as the top defender heading into the 2015-16 Tech squad, citing his physical strength, toughness and willingness to stick his nose in there and get a stop.
The guard has notched 18 steals and six blocks so far while grabbing 3.5 rebounds per game, including a career-high seven at Iowa.
FAMILIAR ROOTS
By far the youngest player on the roster, Micaiah Henry hardly looks like a typical teen that just celebrated his 18th birthday. At 6-foot-8 and 230 pounds, there is plenty to work with in the post for the Tech squad.
The youngster has shown improvement since his arrival on campus, possessing a knack for rebounding and blocking shots, but will sit out the 2015-16 campaign as a redshirt.
He also comes from some familiar territory to the Golden Eagle program, hailing from Columbia High School (Ga.).
TTU legend Lorenzo Coleman, Tech's all-time leader in blocked shots also attended Columbia High School. The post also posted the most double-doubles in program history with 40 in four years.
ROSTER BREAKDOWN
The Golden Eagles' 2015-16 roster features 13 players (12 scholarship student-athletes) representing six states and two countries.
There are just two Golden Eagles who hail from the state Tennessee, but five Tech players call Georgia home. Florida, Louisiana, New Jersey, and Oklahoma all represent home for one player.
Two Tech players were born outside the United States, with both still living in their native countries when not in Cookeville. Aleksa Jugovic is from Serbia, and Ryan Martin is from England.
Tech has three seniors, two juniors, three sophomores, a redshirt freshman and four true freshmen.
Seven Golden Eagles stand 6-foot-4 or shorter while the other six rise to 6-foot-5 or taller.
Photo by Tony Marable
