By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
MOREHEAD, Ky. – It was a tough go offensively for the Tennessee Tech men's basketball team Thursday evening, as the Golden Eagles fell in a road rematch at longtime Ohio Valley Conference rival Morehead State, 64-45, in Johnson Arena.
The first-place Morehead State squad (15-9, 8-3) looked the part on the night, holding the purple and gold to season-lows of 45 points and just two made 3-point field goals. While the Golden Eagle defense played well enough to put the team in a position to compete, the offensive side of the ball proved to be too much of a struggle to stay with the Eagles.
On the night, Tech (10-14, 6-5) was held to just 33.3 percent shooting from the floor, 16.7 percent efficiency from distance, and 68.4 percent at the charity stripe. And while the Golden Eagles forced 15 turnovers by the Eagles, MSU also created 16 turnovers by TTU, leveling the playing field to just opportunities from the floor.
Tech saw a sizable disadvantage on the glass in the contest, allowing 36 rebounds while securing just 25 of its own. Morehead snagged nine offensive boards as well, holding the Golden Eagles to just four.
The home squad wasted little time in building its advantage in the ball game, using an 18-2 run to open the contest with an 18-4 lead. Tech clawed back to within single digits by halftime after the deficit ballooned to more than 20, but the Eagles pushed back out with a pair of sizable runs in the second half.
Former Morehead forward and current Tech graduate student Jaylen Sebree led the purple and gold on offense in his return to his previous stomping grounds, finishing the night with 16 points on 6-for-11 shooting. He also corralled a team-high seven rebounds and dished out half of the team's four assists.
Junior guard Brett Thompson chipped in eight points off the bench, adding a trio of boards to the mix. Four Golden Eagles racked up two steals each, including Sebree, Nolan Causwell, Ty Perry, and Grant Strong.
Morehead guard Mark Freeman led all scorers with 18 points while Jake Wolfe chipped in 13 points. Alex Gross tallied 10 points and five boards.
The Golden Eagles return to the comfort of the Hooper Eblen Center to host the other remaining first-place squad in OVC play, welcoming in Southeast Missouri for a 3:00 p.m. CT tilt Saturday afternoon.
Photo courtesy of Brad Lawx
