By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech men's basketball team hosts its final contest in the comfort of the Hooper Eblen Center for the 2023-24 season Saturday afternoon, taking on Eastern Illinois on Senior Day in a 3:00 p.m. CT affair.
The action can be followed live via radio with Roger Ealey and Frank Harrell on the call on 106.1 The Eagle while Dylan Vazzano and Steve Smith will provide video coverage of the contest on ESPN+. The game will also be televised locally on WCTE.
Prior to the contest, seniors Jayvis Harvey and Diante Wood will be recognized for their contributions to the Golden Eagle program in their time in the purple and gold with a special ceremony.
Saturday's match-up represents the 51st meeting all-time between the two programs, with the Golden Eagles owning a 31-19 advantage in the series. When competing in Cookeville, the Golden Eagles have earned a strong, 18-6 lead.
During this year's first match-up in Charleston back on Jan. 25, the Panther defense limited the Cookeville crew on offense in a 68-59 win for EIU, despite the Tech squad shooting 49 percent from the field. Eastern Illinois forced 18 Golden Eagle turnovers and made just enough of its 24 free throw attempts to secure the win.
Four Golden Eagles ended the night in double figures, led by a double-double off the bench from junior forward Rodney Johnson Jr. The big man tallied team-highs of 13 points and 10 boards on 6-for-8 shooting.
Senior guard Diante Wood chipped in 12 points, six boards, and six assists while fellow senior guard Jayvis Harvey tacked on 11 points. Sophomore forward Daniel Egbuniwe racked up 10 points to go with seven rebounds.
EIU's Tiger Booker exploded for 26 points in the affair, including a whopping 24 in the second half alone. Nakyel Shelton and Kyndall Davis each tallied 12 points as well for the Panther effort.
Last season, the purple and gold claimed a pair of victories over the Panthers, starting with a dominant showing in Cookeville on Jan. 5. Tech cruised to a 70-49 decision, the lowest scoring output by an Ohio Valley Conference opponent since the 2004-05 campaign.
The Golden Eagles also held EIU without a double-digit scorer, a first for the Tech defense in over 20 years. Jaylen Sebree led the Cookeville crew with 15 points while Brett Thompson kicked in 11 off the bench.
In the Feb. 25 return to Charleston, the Golden Eagles clinched second place in the final regular-season standings behind a 75-66 victory. Harvey paced the effort, dropping 17 points while guards Grant Strong and Grant Slatten chipped in 14 points and 12 points off the bench, respectively. Sebree added 13 points.
On Thursday, the Golden Eagles fell in a 78-77 heartbreaker to visiting SIUE in the Hoop, with the Cougars just hanging on down the stretch after the purple and gold had erased a 13-point, second-half deficit.
Davis paced all scorers on the night with a career-high 24 points, narrowly missing a double-double with a game-leading nine rebounds. The Kitchener, Ontario native ended the evening shooting 8-for-14 from the floor, 7-of-9 from the free-throw line, and with four assists, a steal, and a block.
Harvey joined his teammate in the 20-point column, contributing 23 while playing all 40 minutes on the night. The Durham, N.C. native sank 4-for-7 tries from distance and was a perfect 7-for-7 at the charity stripe while doling out three dimes and securing two steals, not mention four boards.
Egbuniwe tallied nine points despite battling through an illness while Wood tacked on nine points, six rebounds, and a team-high five assists.
Photo by Jim Dillon
