By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information

MOREHEAD, Ky. – A late run by the Tennessee Tech men's basketball team against Morehead State wasn't enough to overcome the homestanding Eagles on Thursday night, but even with the 73-68 loss to Morehead, the Golden Eagles did have one silver lining to the dark cloud.

Tech punched its ticket to the Ohio Valley Conference tournament.

The Golden Eagles (12-18, 8-7 OVC) had four players in double-figure scoring, led by Mason Ramsey with 14 points, Kajon Mack and Hakeem Rogers with 13 points each and Curtis Phillips Jr. with 11.

Tech, however, struggled shooting in the contest, hitting 37.3 percent from the field and 23.8 percent from 3-point range. Morehead, on the other hand, had no problem in its home gym, shooting 49 percent from the field and 57.1 percent from beyond the arc.

The Golden Eagles were 5-for-21 from 3-point range, Morehead 8-for-14.

The game was back and forth in the first half, with MSU holding a 31-30 advantage at the half. But in the second half, Morehead surged out by as many as 12 points – its largest lead – with 1:18 remaining in the game before the Golden Eagles made a small run late to cut the deficit down to the final margin of five.

Morehead State (14-14, 10-5 OVC) had six players with double-digit scoring, including a double-double for Miguel Dicent, who had 13 points and 11 boards. Xavier Moon led MSU with 14 points, while Treshaad Williams had 14 and Lamontray Harris, Ronnye Beamon and Ty'Quan Bitting each scored 10.

Tech returns to action on Saturday as it travels to Richmond, Ky., to face Eastern Kentucky in their regular-season finale. Tipoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.

Photo by Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information