By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Stellar shooting and ball movement in the first 26 minutes of Thursday night's Ohio Valley Conference showdown between the Tennessee Tech men's basketball team and Southern Indiana led the Golden Eagles to a huge victory over its newest league foe, an 84-69 triumph in the Hooper Eblen Center.
A 3-pointer from graduate guard Ty Perry lifted Tech (12-14, 8-5) ahead of Southern Indiana (13-13, 6-7) for good less than two minutes in the contest, backed behind an eye-popping first half that saw the home squad wow the nearly 2,000 fans with lights-out shooting.
The Golden Eagles shot 60 percent from the floor and 81.8 percent from the charity stripe, but it was the team's performance from beyond the arc that truly shined bright. Tech used a scorching 8-for-13 showing from distance (61.5 percent) to take a 47-36 lead into the break.
The second half saw the purple and gold somehow improve its efficiency on offense over the opening six minutes, thanks to a nearly unconscious 10-for-14 start from the floor. The 71.4 percent performance propelled Tech to a 23-7 run that pushed the Cookeville crew's lead to 27 and force USI to call its second timeout of the half.
Tech kept the Screaming Eagles at bay for another six minutes, maintaining the massive advantage until the offense finally cooled down over the final stretch of the ball game. USI ended the evening on a 14-2 run of its own, but the Golden Eagles still comfortably walked away with the 15-point victory.
Junior guard Brett Thompson and graduate forward Jaylen Sebree led the charge for the Golden Eagles on the night, combining for nearly half of the team's offensive production and taking over the ball game early and often. Thompson dropped a career-high 21 points while tying for the team lead with five assists, hitting 7-of-12 tries from the floor and 4-for-8 attempts from downtown.
Sebree continued his torrid run over the past two weeks, delivering 20 points on 8-for-13 shooting and four rebounds. The transfer from Morehead State has averaged 21.5 points on 61.3 shooting over the team's last five games. Perry joined the double-digit club for the night, shooting 50 percent from the field for 10 points while also adding four boards.
Junior guard Jayvis Harvey and junior center Nolan Causwell tied for the team lead with six rebounds each. Harvey also tied Sebree with a team-best five assists while Causwell paced the Golden Eagles with a career-high three blocks. Local Sparta native Grant Slatten chipped in nine points off the bench while junior guard Diante Wood turned in nine points as well in his second straight start.
The Screaming Eagles were led by forward Jacob Polakovich, who delivered a double-double with 14 points and 14 rebounds. Guard Isaiah Swope notched a team-high 15 points with three makes from downtown.
Tech will now hit the road for a trip down I-40 and an in-state battle with league-rival Tennessee State in Nashville. Tip for the contest is slated for 3:30 p.m. CT Saturday afternoon at the Gentry Center.
Photo by Jim Dillon
