By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
CHARLESTON, Ill. – A spectacular second-half effort helped propel the Tennessee Tech men's basketball team to its fourth-straight Ohio Valley Conference victory Thursday evening, as the Golden Eagles topped Eastern Illinois, 69-64, at Groniger Arena in Charleston, Ill.
The triumph also marked Tech's fifth consecutive win overall, mixing in a non-conference victory during the impressive streak.
The Golden Eagles (9-7, 4-1) opened the contest cooking on offense, with chef Rodney Johnson Jr. serving up seven points on 3-for-3 shooting to give Tech the early 7-2 lead. The purple and gold shot 66.7 percent over the opening 10 minutes of play, but the Panthers (5-11, 1-4) recovered the remainder of the half.
Johnson Jr. was forced to exit early in the first stanza and miss the remainder of the affair due to an upper-body injury and Eastern Illinois took advantage of the big man's absence. The Panthers held the Cookeville crew to just 1-for-13 shooting to close the half, taking a 37-28 advantage of their own into the break.
Tech head coach John Pelphrey had the magic words in the locker room for his squad, as the Golden Eagles erupted out of the gates for a 10-0 run to take the lead. EIU called for a timeout, but the damage had been done.
The purple and gold turned it into a 23-5 run to open the second half, as the Panthers were forced to call a second timeout in the stanza at the 12:08 mark. The Golden Eagles dominated the stretch, finishing 5-for-9 from distance while using a 14-5 advantage on the glass to take as large as an 11-point lead.
Eastern Illinois refused to give in on its home floor, storming back as the Tech offense hit a cold stretch. The Panthers pulled all the way to within a single point at the 2:16 mark, but junior forward Daniel Egbuniwe delivered a clutch layup through contact to move the lead back to three.
From that point on, the Golden Eagles hit the necessary free throws to ice the game, with Kyle Layton leading the way with four clutch freebies in the final minute. Tech's ball control was a massive factor in the second half, as the Cookeville crew closed the final 20 minutes of the ball game without committing a single turnover.
Egbuniwe dropped his second double-double of the season in the win, tying for the team lead with 13 points while pacing the squad with 10 rebounds. Junior guard Jaylon Johnson matched his teammate with 13 points, sinking 3-of-6 attempts from downtown while leading the game with six assists and no turnovers.
Layton mixed in 10 points and three assists, locking down a perfect 7-for-7 showing at the charity stripe on a night when the Golden Eagles shot just 62.5 percent at the line. Fellow sophomore JaJuan Nicholls also contributed 10 points on 3-for-6 efficiency, hauling in seven boards with four free throws.
Sparta native Grant Slatten chipped in seven points and two steals in 20 minutes off the bench while Ola Ajiboye added four points and three boards. Junior guard Ray Glasgow snagged eight rebounds while producing five points in 22 minutes off the bench.
The Golden Eagles will wrap up their Illinois road trip Saturday afternoon with a 3:30 p.m. CT tilt against SIUE in Edwardsville.
Photo by Sandy King
