By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. – The defense certainly stepped up for the Tennessee Tech men's basketball team Saturday evening, as the Golden Eagles (17-7, 9-2) outlasted Ohio Valley Conference rival Jacksonville State (8-18, 4-7) in a defensive grudge match, 68-58, to take over first place in the East Division race.
Stuck in a back-and-forth, punch-for-punch battle in the first half, the Golden Eagles looked to the defensive side of the ball to make the difference after heading into the locker room squared away at 32-32.
The strategy worked. After watching the Gamecocks shoot 8-for-18 from downtown in the first half, the Golden Eagles bunkered down and held the squad to a paltry 1-for-9 beyond the arc after the break. Tech also forced just a 27.3 percent shooting touch from the floor from the home team over the final 20 minutes, limiting JSU to 26 second-half points. Six of Jax State's 11 turnovers in the game occurred in the second stanza as well.
The Golden Eagles turned things around on offense in the second half as well, using a slow, but methodical 25-15 run from the start of the second half to just under the seven-minute mark. That 10-point lead proved to be the difference in the end, thanks to a strong effort from the charity stripe across the board.
Tech sank 20 of 25 attempts from the free throw line in the contest, with senior Ryan Martin leading the way with an 8-for-8 touch. For the year, the team has now converted on just 22 less free throws than its opponents have even attempted, shooting 451-of-604 as compared to 328-for-473.
Another key factor for the grind-it-out victory on the road was the turnover battle. For the second straight contest, Tech limited its turnover total under 10, making just eight in the ball game as opposed to Jax State's 11.
Foul trouble in the paint played a role for the Golden Eagles, who lost both Anthony Morse (with over five minutes to play) and Mason Ramsey (just under two minutes) with five whistles apiece. True freshman Courtney Alexander played some big minutes down the stretch and Martin, who was limited to 25 minutes due to his own foul concerns, played smart and safe in the closing minutes, making a huge layup with just under three minutes to play to put the Tech lead back up to nine points.
Once again, Torrance Rowe played all 40 minutes of action, the sixth time in OVC play he never saw the pine. The senior tied with teammate Aleksa Jugovic, who put together a very solid bounce-back performance, for a game-high 16 points. Rowe added five rebounds and two assists. As for "Serbian Sugar," the sophomore notched his point total on 6-of-10 shooting, including two monster trifectas and four rebounds for good measure.
Martin added 10 points and narrowly missed out on another double-double, leading the Golden Eagles with nine boards. Rogers posted nine big points off the bench, hitting 6-of-8 free throw attempts. Shirmane Thomas posted another strong offensive effort, shooting 3-of-4 from the field for seven points. He also led all players with three steals on the night.
Morse made Golden Eagle history in the third minute of the game, recording his 100th career block. After throwing down a nasty dunk over a Jax State big man, the senior sprinted to the other end and rejected a layup attempt by Jeremy Watson, becoming just the fourth player in program history to record at least 100 blocks in a career. He finished the game with three total no-nos, as well as four points and two rebounds in just 14 minutes.
Ramsey was key on the boards, picking up six rebounds and adding five points while playing a career-high 31 minutes.
The Golden Eagles will pay a visit to in-state and OVC East Division rival Tennessee State on Wednesday, Feb. 10 in the second game of a doubleheader with the Tech women's squad. Tip is set for 7:30 p.m. CST.
GOLDEN NUGGETS: Thanks to an Eastern Kentucky victory at Belmont Saturday evening, tonight's victory over Jacksonville State moved the Golden Eagles into first place in the OVC East Division…tonight's victory moved Tech's OVC record to 9-2 on the year, matching the team's best start to league play since the 2005-06 season…Tech also is off to its best overall start, at 17-7, since going 27-7 overall in the 2001-02 season.
Photo by Tony Marable
