By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – It was the most special kind of Senior Night in the Hooper Eblen Center for the Tennessee Tech men's basketball team Saturday evening. The kind that ended in victory. The kind that set the program up with great momentum heading into a big offseason for the team.
The Golden Eagles (5-22, 5-15), claimed their second-straight win by simply out-playing longtime, Ohio Valley Conference rival Murray State (13-12, 10-10), snapping a six-game skid to the Racers with a 71-61 victory.
Two nights after defeating Austin Peay in a thriller, Tech turned in another fantastic performance from the moment the ball was tipped. The Golden Eagles led for a whopping 37-and-a-half minutes in the tilt, using defense to create offense and making timely and clutch shots down the stretch.
"I am so proud of our guys," Tech head coach John Pelphrey expressed. "It has been a long, tough, challenging, different year. We've been talking the whole way through that there's a process that you have to go through. That our record wasn't always indicative of the growth that was taking place, the foundation that was being laid. I just really believed that this weekend – coming off of five games in 10 days, for these young men to get a little bit of rest and to prepare, focus in and go against two of the best programs in our league, who have great coaches, tremendous players and tradition – I couldn't be more proud of them."
The purple and gold kept the Racers out of rhythm all night, forcing 17 turnovers and holding the league's most efficient offense to 44 percent shooting from the floor. Tech held its own on the boards as well, matching Murray State's production on the glass, 36-36. The Golden Eagles took advantage of the visitor's miscues on the night, outpacing the Racers on points off turnovers, 25-8 and on fast breaks, 19-6.
"I thought everyone kind of got in on the attack off of those turnovers," Pelphrey said, "whether it was Jr. or Keishawn – Mars certainly had a nice stretch there for us in the second half. Once again, this was a team win. Everybody had some contributions, and that's what it's going to take if you're going to be able to compete against the top four or five teams in this league.
"Everybody has to be a part of it every night. It doesn't mean anybody has to do 25 or 30 points, but we need to have four or five guys who are capable, on that night if it's so-called for, to do that. Everybody's got to defend. Everybody's got to rebound. Everybody's got to make their layups, shoot the three when it's available and hit free throws. That happened in these two games. We took a lead and then were able to make free throws to maintain the lead."
After dropping a career-high 31 points against Austin Peay on Thursday, point guard Jr. Clay again lit up the Eblen Center, scoring a team-high 20 points with six more assists. He paved the way for the offense in the first half, scoring 18 points alone while hitting each of his first four tries from deep.
With his four makes from downtown, Clay became the first Golden Eagle in program history to rank in the top-20 in scoring, top-10 in assists, top-10 in steals and top-10 in 3-point field goals on the career charts. He also moved into a tie for 12th in program history in double-figure scoring games, recording the 70th of his career.
"He made some super shots," Pelphrey said of Clay's performance on the week. "He's a shot maker and when he gets a little rhythm, he's capable of putting us on his back a little bit and getting us through scoring droughts."
The Golden Eagles used 19 assists to effectively move the ball and see six players score at least five points. The home squad also shot 38.5 percent from distance and 87.5 percent from the line.
"I thought when we did what we were supposed to do, especially offensively, when the ball moved, I thought we got some great opportunities," Pelphrey said. "We had some great opportunities tonight we converted, but we also had some that we didn't make. I'm really proud of the understanding and the discipline we're developing to try to play the right way. Once again, we had 19 assists. Our turnovers were way down to 11. That's exciting."
Keishawn Davidson also turned in a strong showing after establishing a new career-high in scoring on Thursday. Following his 21-point outburst against Austin Peay, the Murfreesboro native turned in 15 points with three assists, three rebounds and two steals.
Damaria Franklin chipped in 12 points, seven rebounds and a pair of steals. Playing in his final collegiate contest, graduate transfer Shandon Goldman hauled in a team-high nine rebounds with a pair of dimes and two blocks. Biggie also hit a pair of big-time makes from 3-point range.
Center Marcus Hopkins collected eight points and five rebounds on 4-for-7 shooting off the bench. Also suiting up for the purple and gold for the last time, senior guard Maverick Smith earned the start on the night. The team captain was honored in a special ceremony following the victory.
"It does give us momentum," Pelphrey explained. "It's really evidence of all the work, the things we've been talking about, things we've been pushing towards, the things we've been challenging each other to do – to stay curious, stay resilient, keep learning, control what you can control. Those guys did a great job of that tonight and Thursday."
With the 2020-21 campaign officially over, the Golden Eagles are now free to focus on the continued development of the program.
"We're certainly looking forward to what's next," Pelphrey expressed. "We have a lot work to do in this offseason. We want this to be a 365-day-a-year program. Certainly, we're not going to play games year-round, but there's other things we can do to learn, grow and develop. Those are the next steps, but as far as tonight goes, I could not be more proud of them. I could not be happier for Maverick Smith and his family. To have a chance to experience a victory on Senior Night, especially against one of the better teams in the league, I just think it's going to be a memory for them that will last a long, long time."
Top photo by Dave Winder, Murray State Athletics
Bottom photo by Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
