By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A sharp-shooting effort from the Tennessee Tech men's basketball team just wasn't quite enough to pull off a double-digit comeback Saturday evening, as the Belmont Bruins (20-9, 12-3) held on late against the Golden Eagles (18-9, 10-4) in a crucial Ohio Valley Conference showdown in Nashville, 95-86.
In what turned out to be a classic, 3-point shootout between two of the league's most potent offensive units, it was the home team Bruins that captured the victory in this one, avenging Tech's 89-79 victory on Jan. 30.
The Golden Eagles had the hot hand early, jumping out to an 11-9 lead just four minutes into the game. Belmont overcame its sluggish start, pulling even with Tech over the next four minutes of play. Triples from senior Torrance Rowe and junior Hakeem Rogers moved the Tech edge back out to six, but the Bruins answered.
With the flip of a switch, the home team buried six consecutive attempts from beyond the arc to jump out to nine-point advantage in less than six minutes. Two more unanswered treys edged the lead out to 15 points and the two side basically traded buckets until a 3-pointer from Rowe with 13 seconds left in the half provided the 44-32 score at the break in favor of the Bruins.
The second half saw Belmont take an early swing at ending things quickly, jumping out to an 18-point lead with just over 15 minutes to play. That's when the Golden Eagles did what they do best. They battled.
Kicked off by a brilliant two-minute stretch from Livingston, Tenn. native Mason Ramsey, Tech strung together a 20-6 run, shrinking the Belmont lead to just four points with 10:43 on the clock. Ramsey scored seven points in his two-minute outburst at the beginning of the run, completing a and old-fashioned 3-point play and tipping a pass, snagging the loose ball and going coast-to-coast for a fastbreak lay-in.
Senior Ryan Martin went to work in the paint during the Tech stretch of fire, going to the line four times and connecting on each freebie. Closing out the run, Rogers scored seven straight of his own, drilling a 3-pointer sandwiched by two trips to the free throw line resulting in two points each.
It was as close as the Golden Eagles came to finalizing the comeback, however, as the Bruins just kept making big shots down the stretch. Belmont actually managed to jump the lead back out to 15 points with just under six minutes to play, but the Tech offense rallied again behind stellar, last-ditch efforts from Rowe and Martin.
A Rowe triple with1:40 left on the clock cut the Bruin advantage to six, but Taylor Barnette stuck a dagger in the hearts of the strong Golden Eagle fan presence at the sold-out venue, draining a 30-footer as the shot clock expired with just 57 seconds to play.
The two sides traded free throws before a layup by Rowe made it a six-point affair with 21 seconds left. But multiple Craig Bradshaw free throws iced the game after the Bruins figured out a way to run nine seconds off the clock with some nifty, cross court passing.
Two of the league's top shooting teams proved their worth in the contest, as the Golden Eagles knocked down 14-of-33 3-point attempts and 20-of-24 free throws. Belmont was just a little better from downtown, sinking 15-of-31 tries from beyond the arc.
Rowe led all scorers on the night while finishing with the second-most made 3-pointers in a single game in Tech history, draining 7-of-15 attempts on his way to 27 points. He also dished out four assists while playing every minute of the contest.
Martin earned his eighth double-double of the season, going 7-of-9 from the charity stripe on his way to 16 points and 10 rebounds. He also managed a career-high three blocks. Rogers tallied 15 points off the bench, making all six of his free throw attempts and hitting on three triples.
Jugovic rounded out the double-digit scoring efforts for Tech, making 2-of-4 attempts from deep on his way to 10 points.
As for the Bruins, Evan Bradds led the way, scoring 21 points and hauling in 13 rebounds. Nick Smith and Austin Luke each posted 16 points while Taylor Barnette finished just behind with 15. Bradshaw recorded 11 points in his final regular season contest in the Curb Event Center.
The Golden Eagles will return home to Cookeville to close out the 2015-16 regular season, playing host to Morehead State Thursday evening and Eastern Kentucky on Saturday.
Visit or call the Athletics Ticket Office in Eblen Center (931-372-3940) for tickets or additional information. Tickets may also be ordered online at TTUsports.com, but the dollar tickets are only available at the arena on game night.
Photo by Thomas Corhern, Herald-Citizen
