By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech men's basketball team wraps up the 2022-23 regular season with a trip to Charleston, Ill. Saturday, squaring off with the Panthers in a 3:30 p.m. CT tilt at Lantz Arena.
Fans can follow the action via radio on 106.1 The Eagle with Dylan Vazzano on the call or stream the game on ESPN+.
Eastern Illinois comes into the contest on a three-game slide after winning back-to-back contests in early February. The Panthers fell at Southeast Missouri last Thursday, 79-68, before dropping a heartbreaker at Little Rock in overtime last Saturday, 81-77.
On Wednesday, EIU shot a remarkable 63 percent from the floor in the second half against Morehead State, but couldn't overcome a 39-25 halftime deficit in the 69-63 loss. The Panthers outscored the Eagles 19-2 over the final five minutes of the game.
In the all-time series between the two OVC rivals, Tech leads with a 30-18 advantage. The Golden Eagles hold a slight, 12-11 lead in the series when competing in Charleston. Tech has won each of the last four match-ups with the Panthers, including a pair of contests within just three days of each other last season.
The two teams haven't met since Jan. 5 earlier this season, but the Golden Eagles will look to duplicate their effort from the contest in Cookeville. Tech led wire-to-wire in the match-up, holding Eastern Illinois to just 49 points in the 70-49 victory. It marked the lowest scoring output by an OVC opponent since the Golden Eagles collected a 63-40 win against Morehead State during the 2004-05 campaign.
The Tech defense held the Panthers without a double-digit scorer, the first time the purple and gold held a Division I opponent without a double-figure producer in more than 20 years.
The Golden Eagles enter Saturday's action after picking up a critical win at Southern Indiana Thursday evening, outlasting the Screaming Eagles 82-79 to sweep the season series. The victory provided the purple and gold a great path to the No. 2 seed, and an automatic double-bye into the semifinals, in next week's OVC Tournament.
A Tech win at Eastern Illinois on Saturday and UT Martin loss at Morehead State would give the Golden Eagles their highest seed at the league's postseason event since claiming the No. 1 overall seed at the 2005 tournament. A Golden Eagle victory would also cement at least the No. 3 seed for the purple and gold.
Jayvis Harvey led the purple and gold offensively on the night, providing a team-high 19 points on 5-for-7 efficiency from downtown. He added six rebounds to the mix as well. Jaylen Sebree turned in 17 points and 10 rebounds for his sixth double-double of the year and second in a row.
Ty Perry finished the contest with 16 points, six boards, and a team-high four assists, hitting 4-of-9 attempts from distance. Brett Thompson rounded out Tech's double-digit scorers, producing 14 points and a season-high eight rebounds.
Photo by Jim Dillon
