By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Hard-nosed defense in the second half was enough for the Tennessee Tech men's basketball to pull away from Southeast Missouri and secure its second straight Ohio Valley Conference victory Saturday afternoon, as the Golden Eagles downed the visiting Redhawks in the Hooper Eblen Center, 70-59.
The two sides traded strong offensive blows in the opening half, with the Golden Eagles (7-11, 2-3) shooting 60 percent from the floor and 6-of-9 from downtown while SEMO (6-12, 1-4) fired at a 58.3 percent clip and 6-for-11 showing from distance. Heading into the locker room, the contest was all square at 37-37.
Tech took command early in the second half but was unable to pull away by more than a couple of buckets until down the stretch. Up by two with just over eight minutes to play, the Cookeville crew combined its stingy, second-half defense with a clutch play on offense to produce a 9-0 run over the next two-and-a-half minutes.
The Redhawks never got closer than seven the rest of the way, despite turning in a decisive advantage on the glass. Southeast Missouri hauled in 32 boards, including 13 on the offensive side alone, topping Tech's total of 22 overall and one offensive rebound.
Despite losing the battle of the boards, the Golden Eagle defense never allowed the SEMO offense to get comfortable in the second half, holding the visitors from Cape Girardeau, Mo. to just 28.1 percent efficiency from the floor and a 2-for-12 effort from 3-point range.
The Golden Eagles outscored the Redhawks 33-22 in the second stanza, continuing its frugal attack to the tune of a 52.4 field goal percentage. Tech also finished 9-for-11 from the charity stripe over the final 20 minutes, not to mention 16-of-19 for the game.
Sophomore forward Daniel Egbuniwe produced his third double-double of the season in the win, scoring 14 points while pacing the purple and gold with 10 rebounds and five assists. He finished 5-for-9 from the floor while playing 35 minutes.
Senior guard Jayvis Harvey led the scoring effort on the day, finishing a perfect 8-for-8 from the line and 3-of-4 from deep on his way to 19 points. He also turned in a team-high three steals. Fellow senior guard Diante Wood chipped in 13 points, five rebounds, and three dimes, sinking five of his eight tries from the charity stripe.
Sophomore guard Josiah Davis concluded his day 6-of-9 from the floor for 13 points. Making his first career start, rookie guard Kyle Layton added three points and a pair of steals to the mix while playing 32 minutes. Fellow freshman Rylee Samons buried both of his tries from beyond the arc to add six points.
The Tech squad will return to action next week, taking a short ride down I-40 to Nashville for a Thursday-night tilt with in-state rival Tennessee State at 7:30 p.m. CT at the Gentry Center.
Photo by Jim Dillon
