By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech men's basketball team makes a quick drive down I-40 to Nashville for a 2:00 p.m. tilt at in-state rival Vanderbilt Friday afternoon at Memorial Gymnasium.
The action can be followed live via radio with Roger Ealey on the call on 106.1 The Eagle while Andrew Allegretta and Shan Foster will provide video coverage of the contest on ESPN+ and SEC Network+.
Friday's match-up marks the 20th in program history between Tech and Vanderbilt, with the Commodores owning a 13-6 lead in the series. Vandy leads it 11-2 when competing in Nashville and has won six straight contests between the two. The Commodores claimed the most recent match-up with the Golden Eagles, an 83-63 decision at Memorial Gymnasium.
Vanderbilt enters the contest after suffering its first loss of the season on Sunday, falling to Drake in the championship game of the Charleston Classic by a score of 80-71. The Dores picked up a 73-71 win over Nevada in the first round of action on Thursday and followed it up with a 76-60 triumph over Seton Hall on Friday.
Tech heads to Nashville fresh off a big win over Presbyterian Wednesday afternoon, racing past the Blue Hose in a 90-75 victory in the Hooper Eblen Center. All five of Tech's starting five finished in double figures in scoring, leading the team to team-highs of 90 points and 14 made triples.
The star of the day, junior guard Jaylon Johnson, put an exclamation point on the half, corralling an offensive board and launching a trey to beat the buzzer and give Tech a 45-29 lead heading into the locker room. Johnson led the way for the purple and gold, flirting with a triple-double and settling for a good, old-fashioned double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds. He mixed in a game-high eight assists while sinking five of his eight tries from distance.
Sophomore guard Kyle Layton matched his teammate's efforts from beyond the arc, also draining 5-of-8 attempts from downtown on his way to 15 points, five assists, and two steals. Junior forward Daniel Egbuniwe turned in 16 points, six rebounds, two assists, a steal, and a block.
Senior forward Rodney Johnson Jr. was particularly efficient on the day, connecting on seven of his eight field goal attempts. The big man scored 14 points with three dimes and two boards in just 21 minutes of action. Senior guard Mekhi Cameron chipped in 13 points and four rebounds as well.
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 Jim Dillon
