By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
ATHENS, Ga. – It was a down-to-the-wire, instant classic in Athens, Ga. on Monday evening, as the Tennessee Tech men's basketball team fell just short of a massive victory over Georgia in Stegeman Coliseum on the opening day of the 2024-25 season.
The Bulldogs (1-0) converted just enough free throws down the stretch to top the visiting Golden Eagles (0-1), 83-78, but fans of the purple and gold received plenty of encouragement about the direction of the newest edition of Tech basketball. The contest featured 12 lead changes throughout the night, with neither side able to pull away by double digits at any point.
Trailing by seven midway through the first half, Tech fought its way back to take the lead before UGA responded with a mini run. Down by four with 4:30 to go, sophomore guard Kyle Layton hit a floating jumper to cut the deficit in half and followed it up by burying a fast-break triple to put back on top.
Georgia answered with a dunk, but the Cookeville crew got a quick shot of adrenaline when Sparta, Tenn. native Grant Slatten drilled a corner three to give his squad its biggest lead of the night. An unfortunately-timed media timeout seemed to give the Bulldogs just enough time to gather themselves, as the home squad closed the half on a 9-3 run for a 42-38 lead.
Tech made a splash right out of the gates to open the second stanza, with junior forward Daniel Egbuniwe draining a quick attempt from beyond the arc to trim the UGA advantage to one. Newcomer Jaylon Johnson put the Golden Eagles back on top for the final time on the night, driving into the lane and hitting a key layup.
Taking advantage of six Tech turnovers over the final seven minutes of the ball game, Georgia built as large a nine-point lead. The purple and gold put one last charge together, methodically trimming the gap all the way down to three following one final layup from Layton, but the Bulldogs finished off the win with two final freebies from the line.
On the night, the Golden Eagles shot 49.2 percent from the floor and 39.3 percent from distance, sinking 11 of its 28 tries from downtown. Tech also dished out 15 assists to go along with seven steals.
It was senior guard Mekhi Cameron leading the charge for the purple and gold, dropping 21 points on 7-for-11 shooting with a trio of triples. Layton tied his career-high with 14 points and swiped a career-best four steals.
Johnson flirted with a double-double, inking 12 points and seven assists. Senior forward Rodney Johnson Jr. tacked on a dozen points and a team-high seven rebounds on 5-for-8 shooting in 21 minutes off the bench. Egbuniwe chipped in nine points, three boards, and a pair of dimes.
The Golden Eagles will return to Cookeville for their home opener in the Hooper Eblen Center Thursday evening, playing host to the Bryan College in a 7:00 p.m. CT tilt.
Photo by Conor Dillon, Georgia Athletics
