By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – An incredible team effort lifted the Tennessee Tech men's basketball team to an impressive, 80-67 victory over Eastern Illinois Saturday night in the Hooper Eblen Center.
Bouncing back from a tough loss to SIUE Thursday evening, the Golden Eagles (3-19, 3-12) turned in one of its most complete performances during the John Pelphrey era, shooting 52.8 percent from the floor, 44.4 percent from 3-point range and 70.6 percent from the charity stripe.
"I'm really proud of our team," Pelphrey expressed. "We had a tough outing the other night. We obviously did a lot of preparation [for tonight] – more of it was mental than physical. We just had a terrific mindset coming into the game, really from start to finish. Everybody was involved. I told the guys, 'If you have a Tennessee Tech uniform, by the 15-minute mark, everybody is going to be in the game,' and to, 'stay engaged and be ready.'
"This may be the best win we've had here in a year-and-a-half. It was very good basketball. If anything, we were too unselfish. I just loved it. I couldn't be more proud of a group of young men, to just make a conscious choice. Nobody got any bigger. Nobody got any faster. Nobody got any stronger. We didn't have any players come back that are out injured. It was the same group of guys. It just goes to show you how powerful mindset is and how much it matters."
Highlighting the impressive night, the team compiled a whopping 25 assists on 28 made field goals, the team's highest total of helpers since dishing out 27 on Dec. 6, 2018 against Warren Wilson. Tech also made just 11 turnovers in the contest while out-rebounding the Panthers (7-16, 4-12) 35-26.
When asked about his team's improved ball handling on the night, Pelphrey explained, "No question about it. We talked about in our preparation, what hurt us against Eastern Illinois at their place was our offense that led to layups that we couldn't guard. Tonight, that basically didn't exist, save maybe for one play."
Enjoying the best overall performance of his collegiate career, graduate transfer Shandon Goldman flirted heavily with a triple-double, missing out on becoming just the third Golden Eagle ever to accomplish the feat by two assists. The big man turned in career-highs of 20 points and eight assists while snagging a game-high 11 rebounds. It marked his first double-double in the purple and gold and second of his career.
"I thought he was really good," Pelphrey said of Goldman's night. "He made a lot of plays. I think the best plays he made were in and around the basket. His 3-point shots were his teammates finding him. We know he can do those things, but I thought he started finishing plays around the basket and rebounding the ball for us against a team with an athletic frontcourt. Biggie did a tremendous job tonight."
Leading the Golden Eagle scoring effort was junior guard Jr. Clay, who tallied a game-high 22 points on 9-for-16 shooting and 4-for-9 clip from distance. He dished out three assists while scoring 18 points in the first half alone. The Chattanooga native hit a 3-pointer for the 32nd-consecutive contest, tying for the second-longest streak in program history with Cameron Crisp. He also passed Frank Davis on the all-time scoring list, moving into 26th overall in program history.
Keishawn Davidson dropped 18 points, five rebounds and six helpers off the bench, sinking all six of his tries from the charity stripe. Damaria Franklin scored nine points with six boards in 24 minutes while battling through some foul issues.
"Obviously, Keishawn and Jr. had very good games as well, but I thought Damaria Franklin played one of his best games since he's been here," Pelphrey said. "Has he scored more points? Yes, but tonight he was totally engaged. He was a willing passer. He scored some really tough and important buckets when we needed them. He got six rebounds in the basketball game and he fought through foul trouble. When he was on the sideline, he was our best cheerleader. That's a lot of growth, a lot of leadership and a lot of maturity for a young man to make and we're very, very proud of him."
Tech will quickly hit the hardwood again this week, playing host to Eastern Kentucky on Monday, Feb. 15 at 6:00 p.m. CT in the Eblen Center. The contest, which was originally slated to occur on Thursday, Jan. 28, was postponed due to EKU COVID-19 protocols.
The contest was moved up two hours following the move of the Golden Eagle volleyball team's match on Monday against Eastern Illinois to Sunday, creating a doubleheader against the Panthers. The move also assists the visiting Colonels with postgame travel due to inclement weather expected in the area.
"I think we're learning some things," Pelphrey expressed. "I think we're getting better. Now our challenge will be to play a third game in five days against one of the better teams in our league. I know they'll be excited to play, so hopefully, we can find some consistency, maybe a repeat performance, and just be really competitive."
Photo by Matt Dexter, TTU Athletics
