By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech men's basketball team officially kicks off the 2024-25 Ohio Valley Conference season Tuesday evening, making the trek north to Macomb, Ill. for a 7:30 p.m. CT affair with Western Illinois.
The action can be followed live via radio with Roger Ealey on the call on 106.1 The Eagle while video coverage of the contest will be provided on ESPN+.
Saturday's match-up marks just the fourth in program history between Tech and Western Illinois, with the Leathernecks holding a 2-1 advantage. Squaring off for the first time as OVC opponents last year in Cookeville, Western Illinois edged the Golden Eagles in a 62-55 decision in the Hooper Eblen Center.
Tech's lone win in the short series history came in the most recent affair prior to WIU's addition to the OVC. The Cookeville crew bested the Leathernecks in Cookeville back on Jan. 9, 1989, using a 65-60 edge to get the job done.
Western Illinois enters Tuesday's tilt after suffering a road loss in its final non-conference clash of the season. The Leathernecks fell 89-66 at the hands of South Dakota in Vermillion, S.D. South Dakota dominated the first half, 53-31, and maintained the advantage the rest of the way.
The Golden Eagles head into their first appearance in Macomb as an OVC adversary after also dropping a road tilt. Tech fell to West Georgia, 78-73, in Carrollton, Ga. last Saturday.
The purple and gold turned in a furious comeback bid after trailing 19 with 90 seconds to play in the first half. Tech cut the deficit to just two at 75-73, with under 30 seconds on the clock, but couldn't hit on a couple of 3-point tries late as the Wolves connected on enough free throws to earn the win.
Senior forward Rodney Johnson Jr. led the Golden Eagles with 17 points, finishing 7-for-10 from the floor. He chipped in seven rebounds and three assists as well. Senior guard Mekhi Cameron finished 5-of-6 from the charity stripe on his way to 15 points for the day, adding three steals and five rebounds for good measure.
Leading Tech with six assists, junior guard Jaylon Johnson secured 12 points with a couple of steals and four boards. Sophomore guard Kyle Layton drained a trio of triples while accumulating 11 points with four rebounds.
Off the bench, junior forward Ola Ajiboye ended the day 4-for-6 for eight points in 19 minutes of action. Fellow junior forward Daniel Egbuniwe led the Golden Eagles with eight rebounds while fighting through a hand injury, ending the day with five points and three assists.
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
