By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
ORLANDO, Fla. – A furious, second-half comeback fell just short for the Tennessee Tech men's basketball team Tuesday night in Orlando, Fla., as UCF fought off the Golden Eagles at Addition Financial Arena to claim an 80-69 victory.
UCF (4-0) took a 15-point lead into the locker room, making five of its final seven shots while boasting a decisive, 16-0 advantage in second-chance points. The Knights hauled in 11 offensive boards and 28 total while limiting Tech (3-3) to just 12 total over the opening 20 minutes.
The Golden Eagle offense kept pace with the Knights early, with both sides shooting above 60 percent from the field nearly 10 minutes into the ball game. The purple and gold cooled from down the stretch, however, finishing just 2-for-13 from the floor to close the half.
Taking the court for the second half, the contest seemed destined for blowout territory as UCF pushed out to as much as a 20-point lead at the 18:41 mark, but the Cookeville crew stayed resilient and turned the entire contest around. Tech started the comeback with a 10-0 run following the first media break of the second half, trimming the deficit to just eight.
The Knights moved back out by 15 by the next media break, but the Golden Eagles used the timeout to regroup and mount another impressive run. The purple and gold delivered an 11-0 run this time around, making it a four-point ball game with just over eight minutes to play.
Scoreless up to the 9:52 mark in the second stanza, sophomore guard Kyle Layton came alive down the stretch, helping lead the frenzied rally, sparking himself by knocking down a pair of free throws. On Tech's next possession, the youngster buried a quick triple to move Tech to within seven points.
Tech's next trip down the court, a huge offensive rebound by Ola Ajiboye set Layton up for his second straight make from downtown, cutting the UCF edge to just four points. The McKinney, Texas native upped the ante a step further after the Knights answered with a trey of its own.
Layton splashed in his third consecutive make from distance, drawing a foul on the play and executing the ensuing free throw for a clutch, four-point play. Scoring 12 straight points for the Golden Eagles, the sophomore pulled his squad to within three points with 7:15 to play.
The comeback bid would end there, as the Knights used its size to continue its dominance on the offensive glass and give itself enough opportunities to keep the purple and gold at arm's length the rest of the way.
UCF won the battle on the glass, 52-29 for the night, corralling 22 boards on the offensive side of the ball alone. The Golden Eagles forced 13 turnovers by the Knights while making just 10 of their own, but couldn't overcome a 36.8 percent showing from the floor.
Dropping a career-high 16 points, all after the 10:00 minute mark of the second half, Layton led the Tech effort while finishing 4-for-5 from beyond the arc and 4-for-5 from the charity stripe. He also led the team with four assists.
Junior guard Jaylon Johnson secured a team-high four steals while mixing in 12 points, six rebounds, and a pair of dimes. Junior forward Daniel Egbuniwe sunk 6-of-8 attempts from the free-throw line, finishing with 13 points, four boards, and two assists.
Senior forward Rodney Johnson Jr. paced the purple and gold with eight rebounds to go with 12 points and two blocks. Junior guard Ray Glasgow tallied seven points and five rebounds off the bench.
The Golden Eagles get some much-needed rest before their next ball game, returning to Cookeville and the Hooper Eblen Center to host Presbyterian on Wednesday, Nov. 27 in a 1:00 p.m. CT affair.
Photo by Matt Richards, UCF Athletics
