By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech men's basketball team will make the short trip west down I-40 for a 3:30 p.m. CT rematch with Ohio Valley Conference and in-state rival Tennessee State at the Gentry Center Saturday afternoon.
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 Will Brown and George Plaster providing coverage.
Tennessee State comes into the contest as the hottest team in the league, winning each of its past four games. Following an 83-66 victory against Lindenwood at home to end the month of January, the Tigers hit the road and delivered dubs at Southern Indiana, 80-76, and at Eastern Illinois, 65-61.
TSU made it four straight following an eye-opening, blowout win over Southeast Missouri Thursday evening in Nashville. The Tigers handed the Redhawks their largest loss in league play, an 85-65 dismantling in the Gentry Center.
In the all-time series between the two OVC rivals, Tennessee State leads with a slight, 38-37 advantage. The Tigers hold a 19-17 lead in the series when competing in Nashville. TSU took over the series lead last season with a pair of wins.
Tech snapped Tennessee State's three-game winning streak in the series in this year's first match-up, using a second-half surge to defeat the Tigers in Cookeville, 71-63, back on Jan. 14. Despite trailing by nine with just under 14 minutes to play, the Golden Eagles responded with a massive, 23-5 run to flip the lead and finish off the victory.
The Golden Eagles enter Saturday's action after cruising to an 84-69 victory over Southern Indiana Thursday evening in the Eblen Center. Captivating the crowd and ESPNU viewership with spectacular shooting over the first 26 minutes, Tech led by as much as 27 for much of the second half before a late cold spell allowed a 14-2 run by the Screaming Eagles to end the night.
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.
Following Saturday's match-up, Tech will return home to Cookeville for its final homestand of the 2022-23 regular season, hosting Lindenwood in a 7:30 p.m. CT affair Thursday, Feb. 16 before closing things out in the Eblen Center with a 3:00 p.m. Senior Day tilt against in-state foe UT Martin on Saturday, Feb. 18.
Photo by Jim Dillon
