By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – A dominant first half proved just enough for the Tennessee Tech men's basketball team to lock down a 76-73 win over visiting West Georgia Tuesday night, as the Golden Eagles held off a feisty Wolves squad down the stretch in the Hooper Eblen Center.
The purple and gold (2-1) had the offense humming early on the night, scoring right out of the gate and never allowing West Georgia (0-3) to take a lead. The Wolves hung around for the opening six minutes before the Golden Eagles soared way out front over a span of just over seven minutes.
After the visitors cut the Tech lead to three, the Cookeville crew responded with a dominant 21-4 run over that span, eventually pushing its advantage out to 21 points with a little more than three minutes to play in the first half. Heading into the locker room, the purple and gold boasted a 45-30 lead.
Over the opening 20 minutes of the evening, the Golden Eagles shot 56.3 percent from the floor and buried 7-of-18 tried from distance. Tech also crashed the glass to a 19-16 advantage while holding the Wolves to just 36.4 percent shooting.
The two sides traded blows to begin the second half, with UWG cutting the deficit to 10 before Tech pushed it back out to 17. With just a little over 10 minutes to play, the purple and gold hit a jumper to take a 13-point lead, but things got a little hairy from that point.
The offense for both sides dried up immediately, with more than five minutes passing before either side could find the bottom of the net. For the Golden Eagles, that drought continued for another two minutes, with the Cookeville crew finally finding paydirt with three minutes to play.
The basket moved Tech's lead to eight, proving just enough to hold down the stretch. Free-throw difficulties from the purple and gold kept the Wolves' hopes alive, as the visitors cut the lead to just three with two seconds on the clock.
West Georgia had one last prayer at the end, securing a missed free throw by the Golden Eagles on the front end of a 1-and-1. The team's last-ditch heave was well off the mark, however, securing Tech its second win of the season.
Junior Daniel Egbuniwe had a big day for the purple and gold, leading the way with 18 points, seven rebounds, and five blocks. The forward finished 7-for-10 from the floor with three assists for good measure.
Fellow forward Rodney Johnson Jr. chipped in 10 points and seven rebounds to tie for the team lead. The senior was 5-for-7 from the field with three assists of his own.
Sophomore guard Kyle Layton delivered 10 points and a pair of steals to the effort while junior guard Ray Glasgow kicked in 10 points on 4-for-7 shooting in 13 minutes off the bench. Junior guard Jaylon Johnson mixed in eight points, nine assists, five steals, and four boards on the night.
All 10 Golden Eagles that saw the floor produced at least two points and secured at least one rebound in the contest. The home squad ended the day shooting 52.7 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from distance.
Next on the docket for the Tech is a trip to White Sulphur Springs, W.Va. and the Greenbrier Tip-Off, scheduled for Friday and Saturday. The Golden Eagles open the weekend with a 2:30 p.m. CT bout with VMI on Friday. On Saturday, the purple and gold will square off with either UTRGV or Charleston Southern at either 11:00 a.m. or 1:30 p.m., depending on the results of Friday's contests.
Photo by Jim Dillon
