By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Strong defense and an overall team effort on offense propelled the Tennessee Tech men's basketball team past Ohio Valley Conference rival Morehead State Saturday afternoon, as the Golden Eagles dominated on the way to a 74-55 victory in the Hooper Eblen Center.
The purple and gold (8-7, 3-1) limited the visiting Eagles (8-7, 3-1) to just 55 points, their lowest point total since Tech topped Morehead 66-55 back on Jan. 7, 2012 in Cookeville. The Golden Eagles also held their rivals to just 36.5 percent shooting on the night, including a 3-for-15 performance from distance.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Cookeville crew was efficient and moved the ball around well, racking up 21 assists and eight triples. Eight of the nine Golden Eagles who saw the floor scored at least five points and hauled in a rebound. Tech's 19-point win over Morehead marked its largest over the rival since a 63-40 triumph in Cookeville back on Jan. 13, 2005.
It was a tight battle early on in the contest, with Morehead State flipping a seven-point Tech lead into a four-point advantage of its own with 8:27 to play in the opening stanza. Local Rickman native Matthew Sells kicked off the Golden Eagle comeback, drawing a foul from beyond the arc and hitting all three free throws.
The freebies opened up a 20-6 run by the purple and gold, one that saw the Golden Eagles push out front for good and build a 10-point lead. The advantage moved to 11 by the break, with Tech taking a 40-29 lead into the locker room, the largest halftime edge for the purple and gold over the Eagles since 2005.
It didn't take long for the Cookeville crew to take command of the contest for good, with the lead swelling to as much as 22 midway through the second half. Tech finished things off with a 74-55 win, boasting a 21-5 advantage on the fast break.
Two nights after turning in a season-high 12 points, Sells dropped a new season-high of 17 points against Morehead State, sinking 5-of-6 shots from the floor and 4-of-5 tries from downtown while playing 33 minutes. Sophomore forward JaJuan Nicholls also posted a season-high in the scoring column, securing 12 points on 6-for-10 shooting. He mixed in three assists and two blocks for good measure.
Flirting with a triple-double and filling the stat sheets, Jaylon Johnson delivered 12 points, seven rebounds, eight assists, and five steals to the Tech effort. Sophomore guard Kyle Layton produced 10 points on 3-for-4 shooting with five rebounds.
Sparta native Grant Slatten finished 2-for-3 in 18 minutes off the bench, dropping eight points with four rebounds. Junior forward Daniel Egbuniwe chipped in six points, a team-high 10 rebounds, three assists, and two blocks as well.
Tech hits the road next week for a trip to Illinois, starting with a 7:30 p.m. CT affair at Eastern Illinois on Thursday. The weekend wraps up Saturday afternoon with a 3:30 p.m. tilt at SIUE.
Photo by Jim Dillon
