By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A strong start looked promising for the Tennessee Tech men's basketball team, but a long-range assault from Tennessee State saw the Tigers pull ahead and take an 80-64 victory over the Golden Eagles on Monday afternoon.
The Tigers (7-9, 2-2 Ohio Valley Conference) knocked down 12 3-pointers, nine in the first half, as they erased a seven-point Golden Eagle lead and stayed on fire from the field, shooting 60 percent in the opening 20 and 41.2 in the second half to finish nearly at 50 percent. TSU was 75 percent from the perimeter in the first half.
State also capitalized on Tech's turnovers, collecting 16 points off miscues.
Tech (4-12, 1-2 OVC) also cooled off. After Jr. Clay knocked down a pair of early 3-pointers, the Golden Eagles went 3-for-10 from long range for the rest of the half, then hit just one of their six tries in the second half.
The Tigers put together small runs here and there, escalating their lead to 17 points midway through the second half. Tech chipped it back down to 11, but couldn't get shots to fall to get closer. The Golden Eagles shot 35.7 percent in the final 20 minutes.
Daniel Ramsey and Keishawn Davidson led Tech with 14 points each, while Davidson also had five rebounds – three shy of game-leader Mamoudou Diarra with eight boards. Ramsey was also 6-for-9 from the field. Clay finished the game with 11 points.
State ended the game with four double-digit scorers, led by Carlos Marshall Jr. Marshall was 6-for-15 from the floor, knocking down four of his nine 3-point tries and was 3-for-3 from the charity stripe. He also had six rebounds.
Marcus Fitzgerald Jr. added 18 points, while Dedric Boyd had 16 points and six rebounds and Kassim Nicholson had 12 points and six boards.
The Golden Eagles return to action on Thursday as they take on SIUE from the Hooper Eblen Center.
Tickets for Thursday's game are on sale now. Call (931) 372-3940, visit the Eblen Center ticket office or visit TTUsports.com.
Photo | Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
