By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech men's basketball team stays on the road for a trip to Florida and a 6:00 p.m. CT tilt in Orlando with UCF at Addition Financial Arena on Tuesday evening.
The action can be followed live via radio with Dylan Vazzano on the call on 106.1 The Eagle while video coverage of the contest can be found on ESPN+.
Tuesday's match-up marks the fourth in program history between Tech and UCF, with the Golden Eagles owning a 2-1 advantage in the series. The purple and gold claimed wins in the first two meetings, a 70-55 victory in Cookeville on Jan. 30, 1985 and a 77-62 dub in Orlando back on Dec. 10, 1985.
The Knights picked up their first win in the series on Dec. 21, 2006. UCF edged the Golden Eagles, 73-66, at the San Juan Shootout in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Coming into the contest with a 3-0 record, UCF kicked off the year with an impressive, 64-61 triumph over No. 13 Texas A&M in Addition Financial Arena. The Knights have since followed it up with a 75-68 win over Purdue Fort Wayne and a 100-94 sprint to the finish over Florida Atlantic, both on their home floor.
The Golden Eagles head into Orlando after a 2-1 week on the hardwood, kicking things off with a 76-73 victory over West Georgia in Cookeville last Tuesday. Tech then split its two match-ups a the Greenbrier Tip-Off River Division in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va. on Friday and Saturday.
Tech earned a 72-71 win over VMI in the first contest, with junior guard Jaylon Johnson hitting the game-winning layup with six seconds to play. He then stole the ball with four seconds left to set the Golden Eagles up for the win.
It was a total team effort across the board for the purple and gold, led by Johnson and forward Rodney Johnson Jr. The two each tallied 13 points, with Johnson Jr. hauling in five rebounds and Johnson securing four boards, two steals, and a trio of triples.
Forward Daniel Egbuniwe made his 22 minutes on the court count while battling foul trouble, turning in 12 points on 5-for-8 shooting and five assists. Off the bench, junior guard Ray Glasgow chipped in 11 points with five rebounds, three dimes, and two steals.
Local Sparta, Tenn. native Grant Slatten added 10 points to the mix, corralling a team-high six boards and sinking 5-of-7 attempts from the charity stripe. Sophomore guard Kyle Layton delivered nine points with three makes from downtown and dished out a season-high six assists.
In Saturday's championship game with UTRGV, the Tech offense struggled to find consistency and the Vaqueros dominated on the glass to earn an 83-58 victory.
Johnson led the Tech effort with 13 points, sinking a trio of treys with three assists, three boards, and a pair of steals. Johnson Jr. joined him in double figures with 12 points and three triples of his own.
Local Rickman, Tenn. native Matthew Sells knocked down three shots from downtown as well, finishing with a season-high nine points off the bench. Egbuniwe, who was named to the Greenbrier Tip-Off River Division All-Tournament Team, produced eight points, a team-high eight rebounds, and three assists in 21 minutes of action. The veteran finished 4-for-8 from the floor while battling foul troubles during the contest.
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 Conor Dillon, Georgia Athletics
