By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Another hard-fought battle fell in favor of the visitors Saturday afternoon, as the Tennessee Tech men's basketball team dropped a tight affair in the Hooper Eblen Center to longtime Ohio Valley Conference rival Morehead State, 67-60.
It took some time for the Tech offense to get its footing, as the visiting Eagles (18-5, 9-1) rolled out to a 9-0 lead. Trailing 25-15 with just over six minutes to go in the opening stanza, the Golden Eagles (7-16, 2-8) started to find its rhythm, closing in slowly to the tune of a 31-25 deficit at the break.
Morehead State pushed back out by double figures to open the second half, but the purple and gold strung together a proper response. Behind a stingy defense and clutch shooting, Tech delivered a 21-6 run to not only square the contest, but take a three-point lead of its own with a little over nine minutes to play.
That advantage grew to as much as four at the under-eight-minute media break, but a short cold spell for the Cookeville crew provided Morehead just enough room to jump back in front for good. Tech made one final push, chopping a seven-point deficit to just four with a single minute of the clock courtesy of a clutch triple from rookie guard Kyle Layton.
The Eagles made their free throws down the stretch, finishing 5-for-5 in the final minute to hold the purple and gold at bay. The contest came down to the battle on the glass, with Morehead's advantage with rebounds making up for Tech's lead in the turnover department.
The Golden Eagles forced eight turnovers by their opponents from up north, making just four of their own. On the flip side, Morehead hauled in 38 rebounds while limiting Tech to 24 on the day.
Senior guard Diante Wood paced the purple and gold in the tilt, finishing with 15 points, three rebounds, and a pair of assists. Sophomore guard Josiah Davis was right behind, securing 14 points on 6-for-13 shooting with a team-high six dimes and four rebounds.
Joining the double-digit scoring efforts was senior guard Jayvis Harvey, posting 12 points with three assists. Layton tacked on eight points, three dimes, and three boards while sophomore forward Daniel Egbuniwe chipped in seven points, four rebounds, and three steals.
Morehead's Riley Minix recorded his OVC-leading 10th double-double in the contest, boasting 21 points and 15 rebounds. Kalil Thomas knocked down three triples on his way to 13 points while Eddie Ricks III tallied 12 points and six boards.
Tech hits the road for a pair of OVC tilts next week, starting with a Thursday-night affair in Cape Girardeau, Mo. The purple and gold's rematch with Southeast Missouri will feature a 7:30 p.m. CT tip before the squad heads to St. Charles, Mo. for 3:30 p.m. contest at Lindenwood on Saturday, Feb. 10.
Photo by Jim Dillon
