By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech men's basketball team heads back out on the road for an in-state and Ohio Valley Conference battle at UT Martin Saturday afternoon, featuring a tip of 3:30 p.m. CT at the Kathleen and Tom Elam Center in Martin, Tenn.
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 Chris Brinkley providing coverage.
UT Martin comes into the contest off back-to-back OVC wins over Morehead State and Southeast Missouri. After falling at Little Rock, 88-74, to open league play, the Skyhawks have rebounded with a 64-57 victory over the Eagles and an 87-82 triumph over the Redhawks, both at home.
The Skyhawks have already passed their win total from last season when the team finished 8-22 with a 4-14 mark in league action. The team's eight non-conference victories marked the most since the program had 10 in 2016-17.
In the all-time series between the two OVC rivals, Tech leads with a decisive, 40-16 advantage. The Golden Eagles hold a 16-10 lead in the series when competing in Martin. The purple and gold swept the season series last year, snapping a four-game skid when playing in Martin with a 76-70 victory on Jan. 15.
The Cookeville crew followed it up with an 88-75 win over the Skyhawks in the comfort of the Hooper Eblen Center in the regular-season finale on Feb. 26.
The Golden Eagles enter Saturday's action after rolling to their first OVC victory of the season, a 70-49 clinic over the league's final unbeaten team in Eastern Illinois. Tech led wire-to-wire in a contest that saw the home squad hold a double-digit lead for most of the night with a dominant display of defense.
Nine different Golden Eagles scored on the night, with eight posting at least five points. On the flip side, the Tech defense held the Panthers without a double-digit scorer, the first time the purple and gold held a Division I opponent without a double-figure producer in more than 20 years.
Tech's defense holding Eastern Illinois to just 49 points also marked the lowest scoring output by an OVC opponent since the Golden Eagles collected a 63-40 win against Morehead State during the 2004-05 campaign.
Leading the way offensively for the purple and gold was graduate forward Jaylen Sebree, boasting a game-high 15 points with four rebounds, and three assists. Junior guard Brett Thompson also turned in double figures, finishing 4-for-6 with 11 points and a team-high tying four assists.
Junior guard Diante Wood stuffed the stat sheet with eight points, a team-high tying six boards, four assists, and a block. Graduate guard Ty Perry delivered nine points, five rebounds, and three dimes while junior guard Jayvis Harvey contributed five points, six boards, and three assists.
Photo by Emily Armstrong
