By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - After posting its fifth double-digit, come-from-behind victory Thursday night over Tennessee State, the Tennessee Tech men's basketball team will now set its sites on a crucial Ohio Valley Conference East Division battle with in-state rival Belmont Saturday evening.
The Golden Eagles (15-7, 7-2) will pit its undefeated 11-0 record in the Eblen Center against the unblemished mark of 8-0 in OVC play by the first-place Bruins (16-8, 8-0), closing out the January portion of the schedule in a 7:30 p.m. contest. It's the second game of a promotion-filled doubleheader that begins with the women's game at 5:30 p.m.
It's Military and Public Safety Appreciation Night, with free admission to all current and former members of the U.S. military branches and their immediate family members with ID.
The night is also Gold Rush, with fans encouraged to wear gold to the game, and the first 1,500 fans into the arena may receive a free Gold Rush t-shirt.
Tech is also hosting Legends Night, with recognition planned for all formermen's and women's basketball players who return to campus for the contests.
For additional information on the game or to reserve tickets to the game, contact the Athletics Ticket Office in Eblen Center or call (931) 372-3940. Tickets may also be purchased online at TTUsports.com.
Tennessee Tech (15-7, 7-2) vs. Belmont (16-6, 8-0)
Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016
7:30 p.m. CST
Eblen Center (7,500) – Cookeville, Tenn.
The Broadcasts
TV: WCTE (Tim Scruggs & Sam Brooks)
Radio: 106.1 The Eagle (Roger Ealey)
Webcast: OVC Digital Network (Dylan Vazzano)
ABOUT BELMONT
Tech stays in the Eblen Center for a huge in-state OVC match-up with Belmont Saturday, Jan. 30. The 7:30 p.m. CST contest will also be Tech's third annual Gold Rush game.
Belmont is in its 35th season under the direction of head coach and former Tech assistant Rick Byrd.
The Bruins are currently 16-6 overall and 8-0 in OVC play, coming off a 72-63 road victory at Jacksonville State Thursday.
This season, Belmont is 8-1 at home, 7-6 on the road, and 1-0 at neutral sites.
Last season, the Bruins compiled a 22-11 overall record and 11-5 mark in the OVC, finishing 2nd in the East Division regular season standings and 3rd overall. Belmont went on to win the OVC Tournament and represent the league in the NCAA Tournament.
This marks just the 18th meeting all-time between the two programs, with Tech dominating the series with a 12-5 edge. Belmont has won five of the past six meetings after losing the first 11. Tech is 10-2 all-time against the Bruins in Cookeville.
Belmont swept the season series in 2014-15, defeating Tech 71-53 in Nashville before edging the Golden Eagles in Cookeville, 88-82.
The Bruins boast the league's most potent offense, scoring 82.6 points per game. They also lead the OVC in field goal percentage (.496), assists per game (17.0) and 3-point field goals per game (10.0)
Belmont is led by Evan Bradds, who averages 18.7 points and 9.7 rebounds per game. He currently leads the nation in field goal percentage, making 72.0 percent of his attempts.
Craig Bradshaw boasts 16.0 points per game, shooting 40.8 percent from deep and 46.5 percent from the field.
Taylor Barnett and Amanze Egekeze also represent scoring threats for Belmont, averaging 9.6 and 9.3 points per game, respectively.
TENNESSEE STATE RECAP
Tech kept its perfect home record in tact Thursday evening, defeating in-state rival Tennessee State, 81-79 in a down-to-the-wire contest.
The Golden Eagles capped their fifth double-digit comeback victory of the season, rallying from a 13-point deficit.
In a bizarre finish, TSU guard Keron DeShields was fouled with 5.5 seconds to play from 3-point range, sinking all three attempts to tie the game at 79. Tech guard Torrance Rowe raced down the court, threw up a shot fake and was also fouled from beyond the arc, this time with 0.5 second left. He sank the first two free throws to give Tech the victory.
With the free throws, Rowe has now hit either a game-winning or tying shot in four contests in his two-year Tech career.
Junior Hakeem Rogers lifted the Tech offense, leading the team with a career-high 23 points off the bench. He finished 7-of-11 from the field and 4-of-6 from downtown on the night.
Hot-shooting sophomore Aleksa Jugovic was held to just nine first-half minutes due to foul trouble. He was joined by Ryan Martin, Anthony Morse and Mason Ramsey within the next five minutes, all sitting with two fouls. Both Morse and Ramsey would foul out in the second half.
Rowe kept his scoring average up with 19 points as well as four assists. He played all 40 minutes for the fifth time in OVC play.
Martin tallied his sixth double-double of the season, notching 17 points and tying his career-high with 14 rebounds. He also dished out a career-best four assists.
ON A ROWE
One of the league's best free throw shooters, Torrance Rowe set a program record for highest free throw percentage in a game , sinking all 15 of his attempts at the line at Murray State. The previous record belonged to Jud Dillard who went 14-for-14 against Jacksonville State during the 2012-13 season.
The senior turned in one of the best passing performances in program history against Southeast Missouri, dishing out 12 assists with zero turnovers. Only Maurice Houston posted more with zero turnovers, recording 15 dimes against Morehead State in March of 1993.
This season, Rowe leads Tech in scoring with 17.4 points per game, good enough to rank fourth in the OVC, and with 4.8 assists per game, also ranking fourth in the league.
T-Rowe owns an 87.4 percent shooting touch from the charity stripe and has dished out 106 assists while playing 34.5 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 (listed far right).
After blocking four more shots against Tennessee State, Morse now has 96 in his career and holds sole possession of fifth place all-time in Tech history. He needs three 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 first in the OVC with 2.0 blocks per game. He ranks third in the league with a 61.2 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 seven 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 44.1 percent, owning more makes and attempts than the other three players ahead of him. In league play alone, he has knocked down the most treys, dropping 29-of-54 attempts to rank third in percentage with a mark of 53.7 percent. He also ranks fourth in the OVC with an 86.7 free throw percentage.
Facing EIU, 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.
The bonafide sharpshooter connected on 4-of-8 missiles from downtown at Morehead State, tallying 21 points on the night.
He took to the mid-range jumper at EKU, sinking 8-of-13, field goals, 2-of-4 3-pointers and 6-of-7 free throws on his way to 24 points, equaling the most consecutive 20-point outings by a Golden Eagles since Jud Dillard posted four straight to end his career during the 2012-13 season.
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-pointers made (251) and 3-point percentage (.407). Davis believes Jugovic can break both records in his career, and the numbers support that claim so far.
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 eighth time in two years, the Golden Eagles completed a comeback of 10 points or more with Rowe making a large impact on the outcome. He has hit the game-winning or tying shot in four of those contests.
In a bizarre finish, Tennessee State guard Keron DeShields was fouled from 3-point range with 5.5 seconds to play, sinking all three attempts to tie the game at 79.
Rowe raced down the court, threw up a shot fake and earned his own trip to the line for three attempts, this time with 0.5 second left. He sank the first two free throws before missing the final on purpose to give Tech the 13-point rally and victory.
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.
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.
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.
He tallied his sixth career double-double in Tech's comback victory over Tennessee State, tallying 17 points and tying his career-best mark of 14 rebounds. He added a career-high four assists as well.
On the year, Martin is averaging 14.4 points and 7.9 rebounds, the best mark on the team and fourth best in the league. He ranks ninth in the OVC in free throw percentage, hitting at a .780 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 20 steals and seven 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.
Photo by Tony Marable
