By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – It was a bittersweet Saturday in the Hooper Eblen Center, as the Tennessee Tech men's basketball team (13-16, 9-7) recognized four veteran members of the program as part of Senior Day festivities before falling to in-state rival UT Martin (18-11, 10-6) in a barn burner, 100-91.
Golden Eagles fans took one last opportunity to recognize guard Marcus Lee Jr., guard Ty Perry, forward Jaylen Sebree, and guard Diante Wood with an eruption of cheers prior to tip. The purple and gold fed off the energy early, taking as large as an eight-point lead in the early stages.
Opening a 26-18 advantage seven minutes into the ball game, Tech started the contest on fire, sinking 10 of its first 14 shots, including eight-straight buckets and five triples in a row. It took a little longer than the Golden Eagles, but the Skyhawks got off to a torrid pace as well, eventually flipping the script on the purple and gold.
UTM shot an eye-popping 63.3 percent from the floor in the opening stanza, including a ridiculous 7-for-9 showing from distance. The rain shower was led by Parker Stewart, who simply couldn't miss for the Skyhawks, drilling 5-of-6 tries from downtown in the first half alone. He finished 8-for-9 on the night on his way to a game-high 32 points.
Trailing 56-44 at the break, the Golden Eagles tried to make a push after falling behind by as much as 17, but the Skyhawk offense just never cooled off on its way to becoming the first Tech opponent to hit the century mark in a contest since No. 10 Tennessee did so in the 2020-21 campaign. UT Martin shot 55 percent from the floor in the second half.
The Golden Eagles kicked off the contest with a masterful showing from distance, sinking 8-of-14 3-point attempts in the first half. The magic wore off in the second half, however, as the Skyhawks held Tech to just four makes on 14 attempts.
Playing in his final contest in front of the Golden Eagle faithful, Sebree delivered one of his strongest performances of the season. The graduate transfer from Morehead State ended the evening with his fifth double-double of the season, boasting 25 points with 10 rebounds. He also dished out five assists without making a turnover.
Also making his final appearance in the Hoop, Perry contributed 10 points with a block, a steal, and two dimes. Junior guard Brett Thompson continued his hot stretch, posting 24 points on 50 percent shooting. Rounding out the double-digit scoring efforts for the purple and gold, junior guard Jayvis Harvey chipped in 13 points with four assists and two steals.
Adding to Stewart's big day for the Skyhawks, were KJ Simon with 22 points and 10 rebounds and Chris Nix with 20 points. Jordan Sears flirted with a double-double, posting 12 points and eight dimes.
Tech will wrap up the regular season with a road swing up north, starting with the team's first visit to Southern Indiana on Thursday, Feb. 23 in a 7:30 p.m. match-up. The Golden Eagles will then head to Charleston, Ill. for a Saturday affair with Eastern Illinois at 3:30 p.m.
Photo by Jim Dillon
