By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – A late comeback came up just short for the Tennessee Tech men's basketball team Saturday afternoon, as the Golden Eagles fell to visiting Little Rock in the Hooper Eblen Center, 91-89.
After getting off to a torrid start offensively and boasting a 15-6 lead, Tech (10-13, 6-4) saw a cold stretch take over. The Trojans (7-16, 3-7) turned in a 23-0 run to take a 14-point lead while the purple and gold struggled with turnovers and finding a shooting rhythm.
The Golden Eagles fought back with incredible effort, closing the gap to just a single point at the break at 40-39. Little Rock pushed back out in front by double figures in the second half, but the purple and gold had one more rally in its pocket.
Down by 12 with 3:39 to play, Tech cut the deficit to just a single point with 38 seconds to play. The Golden Eagles missed a solid look from 3-point range on the next possession and the Trojans pushed back out front by three with eight seconds to play on a put-back layup.
A pair of free throws made it a one-point game with five seconds to go, allowing Tech to foul Little Rock for one more chance. The Trojans converted its first attempt at the line and missed the second. The Golden Eagles hauled in the rebound, but couldn't get a final shot off before the final buzzer.
Little Rock shot an impressive 52.3 percent from the floor, using a decisive 15-7 advantage on the offensive glass to take nine more shots in the contest. Tech shot 53.6 percent and drained 11 attempts from downtown, but the effort fell just short in the end.
Despite the loss, a pair of Golden Eagles delivered career performances on the night, led by graduate Jaylen Sebree. The forward dropped a career-high 28 points on 11-for-16 shooting, adding a team-high six rebounds and five assists. Junior guard Jayvis Harvey turned in a career-best 24 points, sinking 7-of-11 attempts and a career-high 6-of-8 tries from downtown.
Junior guard Brett Thompson finished an impressive +20 for the night in 25 minutes off the bench, scoring eight points and dishing out a career-high eight assists. He also racked up four steals with 6-for-6 efficiency from the charity stripe. Graduate guard Ty Perry contributed 13 points and five rebounds.
Little Rock's DeAntoni Gordon turned in team-highs of 25 points and nine rebounds while Myron Gardner contributed 21 points, seven boards, and four assists. CJ White turned in a double-double with 13 points and 11 assists.
Tech will now make a trip east to Kentucky for a 6:00 p.m. CT tilt at Morehead State on Thursday, Feb. 2.
Photo by Jim Dillon
