By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – The Tennessee Tech men's basketball team saw its five-game winning streak snapped in Edwardsville, Ill. Saturday afternoon, as SIUE topped the Golden Eagles in a 67-59 defensive struggle at First Community Arena.
The loss also snapped a stretch of four consecutive Ohio Valley Conference victories for Tech (9-8, 4-2) while increasing the Cougars' (11-6, 4-2) own winning streak in league play to four games of their own.
It was a slow, gritty slog early in the first half, with neither side shooting above 25 percent from the floor over the opening 10 minutes and three shot clock violations buzzing the arena. Play was very physical on both ends of the floor, with the referees letting the guys play with just eight fouls called in total.
Following the under-12-minute media timeout, the Golden Eagles took control, ripping off a 17-2 run to the four-minute mark of the first stanza. The Cougars responded to close the half, trimming the Tech advantage down to just 26-25 at the break while making each of their final six buckets from the floor, with 12 of the final 15 points courtesy of star guard Ray'Sean Taylor.
Both sides found more offense in the second period, but it was the Cougars' efficiency that provided the win. With just under 12 minutes to play, SIUE drained back-to-back treys to take an eight-point lead, the team's largest of the day. During that stretch, Tech was held to just 23.1 percent shooting while the Cougars sunk 9-of-14 attempts from the field.
Behind a furious surge of offense from junior guards Ray Glasgow and Jaylon Johnson, the Cookeville Crew battled back and even recaptured the lead with 8:15 to play. Glasgow and Johnson combined for 11 points during the stretch, including a tough, three-point play from Glasgow and a four-point play by Johnson.
SIUE swung the momentum back to its side and, after a triple by Johnson, jumped back out front for good at the 6:16 mark. Tech's offense just couldn't get anything going to close the contest, finishing one for its last 11 from the floor, including missing its final eight field-goal tries over the closing four minutes.
Glasgow paced the purple and gold with a brilliant effort in 20 minutes off the bench, finishing 5-for-7 from the floor and a perfect 8-for-8 from the charity stripe on his way to 19 points and six rebounds. Johnson dropped in 16 points, including a trio of triples, while mixing in three steals.
Junior forward Daniel Egbuniwe turned in seven points and a team-high seven rebounds while sophomore forward JaJuan Nicholls dropped in six points and five boards. SIUE's Ray'Sean Taylor led all scorers with a game-high 25 points.
The Cougars held the Golden Eagles a season-low six makes from beyond the arc, with Tech using a 17-for-21 display at the free-throw line to stay in the ball game. The purple and gold shot just 32.1 percent for the contest, the team's second-lowest mark behind the Vanderbilt game, and a 22.2 percent clip from downtown, the lowest percentage of the season.
Tech will return to Cookeville and the Hooper Eblen Center next week for a pair of OVC match-ups, starting with a 7:30 p.m. CT affair with Southeast Missouri on Thursday. The Golden Eagles will then play host to Little Rock in a 3:00 p.m. tilt on Saturday.
File photo by Jim Dillon
