By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The offense was flowing in full force and the defense did its job for the Tennessee Tech men's basketball team Tuesday evening, as the Golden Eagles cruised to a 100-56 victory over Oakland City in exhibition action in the Hooper Eblen Center as part of Purple Palooza.
The visiting Mighty Oaks hit the first bucket of the game to take a 2-0 lead, one that wouldn't even last for a full minute. The purple and gold quickly turned the tide, taking the lead and never looking back on its way to a decisive victory.
Great shooting and ball movement was the name of the game for the Tech offense, which piled up a whopping 32 assists while shooting 54.3 percent from the floor and 42.9 percent from distance. On the defensive side of the ball, the Cookeville crew never allowed the visitors to truly get going or pick up any momentum.
The longest scoring run for the Oaks results in just four points while the Golden Eagles forced 22 turnovers by their visitors from Indiana. Thirteen of those miscues by OCU came from Tech steals, resulting in 30 fast-break points and 24 points off turnovers.
All 10 Golden Eagles to see the floor on the night contributed at least five points and two rebounds each, led by a number of stand-out performances. Pacing the purple and gold for the second time in as many exhibition tilts this preseason, Mekhi Cameron dropped 17 points with seven rebounds, five helpers, and two steals.
Fellow newcomer Jaylon Johnson turned in a double-double with 14 points and a game-high 10 assists. Sophomore Kyle Layton stuffed the stat sheet on the night, producing 13 points on 3-for-6 efficiency from deep, three rebounds, seven assists, and five steals without recording a turnover.
Also scoring 13 points to go along with four boards and two blocks was junior forward Daniel Egubniwe. Rounding out the double-digit scoring efforts for the purple and gold, senior Bogdan Zimonjic locked down 10 points and a pair of steals in 13 minutes off the bench.
Big man David Craig tallied eight points while redshirt sophomore Grant Strong turned in nine points and four rebounds. Forward Ola Ajiboye totaled five points, five boards, and two steals while fellow newcomer Matthew Sells chipped in five points and five dimes. Local Cookeville native Josh Heard made his first appearance in the Hoop, sinking a pair of treys for six points.
The Golden Eagles will officially kick off the 2024-25 campaign on Monday with a trip to Athens, Ga., and a 6:30 p.m. CT affair with Georgia.
Photo by Jim Dillon
