By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech men's basketball team kicks off a four-game road stretch through Ohio Valley Conference action Thursday evening, heading to Nashville for a 7:30 p.m. CT tilt with in-state rival Tennessee State.
The action can be followed live via radio with Dylan Vazzano on the call on 106.1 The Eagle while video coverage of the contest will be provided on ESPN+.
Saturday's match-up marks the 79th in program history between Tech and Tennessee State. The Tigers own a slight, 40-38 advantage in the series, including a 21-17 lead when competing in Nashville.
TSU has won five of the past seven meetings overall and each of the previous five affairs in the Gentry Center. Tech's last victory in Nashville came back on Jan. 3, 2019 in a 66-64 decision.
Last season, the Tigers topped the purple and gold in the Gentry Center, pulling away in the second half for an 85-53 victory. Rodney Johnson Jr. produced 13 points and five rebounds off the bench in the contest.
In the rematch in Cookeville, the Golden Eagles returned the favor with a massive second half of their own, exploding for a 70-50 triumph. Johnson Jr. produced 19 points and five rebounds to pace Tech.
Tennessee State enters Thursday's contest following a thrilling, overtime win at home over UT Martin Tuesday evening. The Tigers' Knute Wood buried a go-ahead triple with 15 seconds to play in the extra session, providing the 81-80 win for his squad.
Tech takes on its in-state rival after dropping its third straight contest Saturday afternoon, falling to Little Rock in the Hooper Eblen Center, 77-71. The Golden Eagles made a season-high 15 attempts from distance in the game, but the Trojan defense did its job inside.
Little Rock outpaced the Cookeville crew 40-10 inside the lane, holding Tech to just six total two-point field goals the entire day. The visitors also built a 38-28 advantage on the glass.
Sophomore guard Kyle Layton led the Golden Eagles with a monster first half, securing all of his career-high 17 points over the opening 20 minutes. The youngster drilled five triples on nine tries for the day, chipping in two free throws for good measure.
Junior forward Daniel Egbuniwe tallied his third double-double of the season behind 14 points and a team-high 10 rebounds, mixing in three assists, two steals, and a block. Local Rickman native Matthew Sells tacked on 11 points as well, converting 3-of-5 attempts from beyond the arc with two assists.
Junior guard Jaylon Johnson flirted with a double-double of his own, settling for eight points and a game-high nine assists while playing all 40 minutes of the contest. Fellow junior guard Ray Glasgow chipped in eight points and five rebounds off the bench.
Photo by Jim Dillon
