By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information

FLORENCE, Ala. – Sluggish starts on offense to both halves of Wednesday's contest proved too costly for the Tennessee Tech basketball team to overcome, as the Golden Eagles fell to North Alabama, 82-59, at CB&S Bank Arena in Florence, Ala.

It was a cold start to the evening for the visitors from Cookeville, as Tech (4-5) opened things just 1-of-7 from the floor. The Golden Eagles picked things up by making four of their next five attempts from the field, but the defense struggled to contain a Lions squad (6-4) that got the job done both inside and out of the paint.

The Lions shot 51.4 percent from the floor over the opening 20 minutes, sinking six attempts from downtown. Tech drained seven, but the Lions' 22-13 advantage on the glass allowed the home team to attempt 10 more shots in the first half.

It was much of the same for the purple and gold in the second half, firing just 1-for-11 from the floor to open the stanza. Tech made its next four shots, but the damage had been done as North Alabama held a comfortable margin for the remainder of the contest.

While the Lions shot less efficiently in the second half, the Golden Eagles struggled even more to find a steady flow of offense, shooting just 42.1 percent and 2-of-13 from distance. The purple and gold were held scoreless for a five-minute stretch as well, allowing the home team to seal the deal.

For the game, Tech was held to just 38.2 percent accuracy and a 9-for-30 display from distance. North Alabama used a decisive, 43-29 lead on the glass, including a 14-6 edge on the offensive boards, to put up 15 second-chance points and 52 total points in the paint.

Junior forward Daniel Egbuniwe led Tech with 12 points, chipping in five rebounds on the night. Sophomore guard Kyle Layton turned in 11 points, all in the first half, sinking three triples with two dimes.

Junior guard Ray Glasgow chipped in 11 points on 4-for-8 shooting off the bench while fellow junior guard Jaylon Johnson led the team with five assists, mixing in six points and four boards as well. Senior forward Rodney Johnson Jr. tacked on eight points and a team-high seven boards.

The Golden Eagles continue their month-long road stretch on Saturday, traveling to Carrollton, Ga. for a 1:00 p.m. CT contest at West Georgia.

File photo by Thomas Corhern