By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – A strong first-half performance at the charity stripe wasn't enough for the Tennessee Tech men's basketball to quiet an explosive Southeast Missouri squad Thursday evening, as the Redhawks used superior shooting and rebounding to defeat the Golden Eagles at the Show Me Center, 88-69.
The Redhawks (8-16, 3-8) set the tone early and never looked back, taking a 12-2 lead over the opening four minutes of the contest. The Golden Eagles (7-17, 2-9) struggled to get its offense going, shooting just 36.8 percent from the floor over the opening 20 minutes, including an 0-for-8 showing from distance.
On the flip side, SEMO found a rhythm right out of the gates and finished the half strong as well, building a 49-28 halftime advantage behind 58.8 percent shooting. The Redhawks were 5-for-7 from beyond the arc and took 15 more shots thanks to a 17-7 advantage on the glass and 7-2 edge in the turnover department.
Southeast Missouri used a nearly identical start to the second half to extend its lead even further, pushing out by as much as 31 with another 12-2 run. In that stretch, the Redhawks were 6-for-7, using its elite shooting touch on the night to provide the damage.
Tech continued to battle the remainder of the evening, led by a ferocious effort from sophomore guard Josiah Davis. The Kitchener, Ontario native produced 14 of his game-high and career-high-tying 20 points in the second half alone. He racked up team-highs of five rebounds and three assists while shooting 8-for-15.
The youngster's energy propelled the Cookeville crew to significant improvement on the offensive end of the floor, with Tech outpacing the Redhawks, 41-39, over the game's final 20 minutes of action. The purple and gold shot 48.6 percent in the second half, simply outscoring a SEMO squad that still managed to finish 60.7 percent from the field over the same amount of time.
Helping with the renewed, second-half effort was junior guard Bogdan Zimonjic. The native of Belgrade, Serbia matched his own career-high in scoring, chipping in eight points and four rebounds with a pair of makes from downtown in 23 minutes off the bench.
Junior forward Rodney Johnson Jr. added 14 points and five rebounds to the mix in 19 minutes of action, finishing 6-for-10 from the floor. Senior guard Diante Wood contributed 11 points and three boards.
Five Redhawks ended their nights with double figures in the scoring column, led by Rob Martin's and Evan Eursher's 16 points apiece. Josh Earley tacked on 14 points and eight rebounds while BJ Ward delivered 13 points and seven helpers. Braxton Stacker rounded out the group with 11 points.
The purple and gold close out the weekend's road trip with a 3:30 p.m. CT tilt at Lindenwood Saturday afternoon in St. Charles, Mo.
Photo by Jan Klestinec-Salmon, SEMO Athletics
