By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Golden Eagle fans got their first peak at the 2024-25 Tennessee Tech men's basketball team Tuesday evening, as the purple and gold went to battle with in-state rival Austin Peay as part of a charity exhibition tilt at the Hooper Eblen Center.
The visiting Govs topped the purple and gold in a barn-burner, 90-80, taking advantage of a 10-minute cold spell by the Tech offense in the opening stanza. The two former Ohio Valley Conference rivals went nearly shot-for-shot to kick off the evening, working to a 12-12 stalemate at the first media break.
With just over 12 minutes to go in the first half, Austin Peay found the edge it needed to pull away, mounting a 40-16 run over the remainder of the stanza. At the break, the Govs held a 22-point advantage thanks to a lethal, 9-for-12 showing from the charity stripe and 10 turnovers by the Golden Eagles.
The Golden Eagles were outgunned in the first half, with the visitors shooting 57.6 percent from the floor with seven more field goals. Tech was held to 38.7 percent shooting and a 27.8 percent clip from distance.
Never deterred, even by a 25-point deficit early in the second half, the purple and gold caught fire over the opening five minutes of action. Tech quickly slashed the deficit to just 10 points, but a media timeout took a bit of wind from the sails.
Austin Peay pushed back out to a 20-point advantage with six minutes to go, riding another rush of momentum down to the closing seconds. With just under 20 seconds to play, the Golden Eagles had the Gov lead down to just eight points before needing to foul to save the clock. Austin Peay made a pair of free-throw attempts to seal the deal.
Making his unofficial Golden Eagle debut, senior guard Mekhi Cameron paced the purple and gold with 17 points, sinking a trio of treys to go with five rebounds. Fellow newcomer Jaylon Johnson finished 3-for-5 from distance, accounting for 12 points and a game-high six assists.
Tech veteran Daniel Egbuniwe added 11 points, five boards, and three steals to the mix, finishing 3-of-6 from the field. New to the TTU crew, junior Ray Glasgow tallied nine points and five rebounds while sophomore returner Kyle Layton tacked on eight points and four assists.
Forward Ola Ajiboye, a junior transfer to the Golden Eagles, supplied eight points, five boards, and three blocks for good measure. Back on the court for the first time since the 2022-23 campaign, local Sparta native Grant Slatten turned in six points in his long-awaited return.
All donations made throughout the night's charity exhibition will go to support the Cookeville Regional Medical Center Charitable Foundation. The CRMC Charitable Foundation is the largest charitable outreach organization in the Upper Cumberland working to help struggling patients with vital healthcare services. Gifts to the CRMC Charitable Foundation have gone to help 528 cancer patients, 129 heart patients, 38 hospice patients, 74 pediatric patients, help 310 with medical equipment, cover 752 screenings and 497 other procedures across the Upper Cumberland area.
The Golden Eagles will get one more tune-up before officially kicking off the 2024-25 campaign, playing host to Oakland City next Tuesday in an exhibition tilt at 7:30 p.m. CT. The contest will mark the final act of Tech Athletics' annual Purple Palooza event, following the women's charity exhibition affair with Lipscomb at 5:30 p.m.
Season tickets for Tennessee Tech men's basketball are now on sale. To order, call 931-372-3940, visit the Hooper Eblen Center ticket office, or visit TTUSports.com.
Photo by Jim Dillon
