By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech men's basketball team kicks off Ohio Valley Conference action Thursday evening, making the trip north for a 7:30 p.m. CT affair at SIUE in Chaifetz Arena in Edwardsville, Ill.
Fans can follow the action via radio on 106.1 The Eagle with Roger Ealey on the call or stream the game on ESPN+ with Joe Pott and Tanner Collins providing coverage.
SIUE comes into the contest with the best non-conference record in the OVC, boasting a 9-4 overall mark with a two-game winning streak. The Cougars picked up an impressive road win before the holiday break, edging Saint Louis 69-67 on Dec. 21.
The SIUE squad boasted a six-game winning streak earlier in the season, highlighted by three straight victories at the JK54 Classic in Longwood, Va. The Cougars took down Fairleigh Dickinson, 79-78, VMI, 93-67, and Longwood, 61-56. The final win in the six-game streak was a solid 78-72 victory over Troy.
In the all-time series between the two OVC foes, Tech leads with a 12-6 advantage. The Cougars took the series lead when playing in Edwardsville last year, eking out a 61-60 victory over the Golden Eagles. The two sides have traded wins back and forth over the last six match-ups, with Tech the last to win back-to-back contests as part of a five-game streak from 2016-19.
The Golden Eagles enter OVC play after snapping a six-game skid with a 104-72 victory over Kentucky Christian on Dec. 20. The Golden Eagles dominated despite being limited to just 11 of its 16-player roster.
For the first time since defeating Southeast Missouri, 98-94, last February, Tech saw six players score in double figures, led by local Celina native Grant Strong and his career-high 22 points. The freshman guard was extremely efficient across the board, finishing 9-for-12 from the floor and 4-for-4 from the charity stripe while accounting for career-best six assists, as well as five rebounds and two steals.
Joining the double-digit action with his team-leading third double-double of the season was graduate forward Jaylen Sebree. The Hopkinsville, Ky. native stuffed the stat sheet to the tune of 16 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, and three steals in just over 23 minutes of action.
Combining with Sebree to become the first Tech teammates with a double-double in the same game since Nov. 10, 2019 against Martin Methodist was sophomore guard Grant Slatten. Picking up the first double-double of his career, the local Sparta native posted 10 points and five assists to go along with a career-high 15 rebounds. He also became the first Golden Eagle to haul in at least 15 boards since Courtney Alexander II snagged 16 against ULM on Nov. 23, 2018.
Following Thursday's match-up, Tech will visit Lindenwood for the first time in program history, squaring off with the new league foe in a 3:30 p.m. affair Saturday, Dec. 31.
Photo by Jim Dillon
