By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – A resurgent second half sent the Tennessee Tech men's basketball team and the purple and gold faithful at the Ford Center into a frenzy Friday evening, as the No. 2 seeded Golden Eagles (16-16) took down No. 3 UT Martin (19-14), 78-63, in the semifinals of the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament.
The win clinched the Cookeville crew its first trip to the OVC Tournament Championship game since 2011 and just the fourth in program history. Tech will square off with the No. 5 ranked Southeast Missouri Redhawks, who downed No. 1 seeded Morehead State earlier in the day, 65-58.
The Golden Eagles and Skyhawks slogged through a tough first half offensively, working a 26-26 stalemate as both sides entered their respective locker rooms looking for a spark. The purple and gold found not one, not two, but three.
Playing all 20 minutes of the second half, Jaylen Sebree and Brett Thompson combined for 40 of the team's 52 points in the final stanza, lifting the Tech squad to its highest height since 2011. Sebree produced 21 of his career-high-tying 28 points in the second half alone, shooting 7-for-12 with three triples. The graduate forward from Morehead State also tied his career-high of 14 rebounds, securing his fourth-straight double-double and the eighth of his career, and dished out four assists.
Thompson dropped all 19 of his points in the second half, knocking down three of his four tries from distance and 8-of-11 attempts at the charity stripe. He added five boards on the night as well.
Diante Wood chipped in seven points in just eight and a half minutes while battling foul trouble, but just his presence on the court was more than enough to give the team a lift. The veteran guard made his first return to the hardwood since suffering a frightening injury at Tennessee State on Feb. 11. In his return, Wood contributed nine key points, four rebounds, and two steals in 15 minutes off the bench.
Graduate guard Ty Perry turned in nine points and six boards while Jayvis Harvey led the team with six assists and corralled four rebounds. The Golden Eagles earned a 45-35 advantage on the glass during the contest and shot a remarkable 57.1 percent from the floor in the second half, including a 7-for-14 showing from downtown.
Tech will now look to take home its first-ever OVC Postseason Tournament title, suffering losses in its three previous trips to the championship game in 2002, 2003, and 2011. Should the Golden Eagles capture the crown this season, it would also snap a 60-year NCAA drought for the Cookeville crew, the second-longest span in the country. While Tech's last visit to the Big Dance came in 1963, Dartmouth's most recent appearance was back in 1959.
Winners of six of its last eight games, Tech will square off against SEMO in the title contest Saturday evening at 7:00 p.m. CT at the Ford Center in Evansville. Fans will have plenty of options to follow the action should they be unable to attend in person, with Dylan Vazzano and Frank Harrell providing radio coverage on 106.1 The Eagle. Robert Ford and Richie Scheuler will share the call nationally on both ESPNU and ESPN+ while a live national radio broadcast will be available on the Westwood One Radio Network.
Photo by Thomas Corhern
