By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – It was a tale of two halves at the Gentry Center Thursday evening, as the Tennessee Tech men's basketball team fell to in-state and Ohio Valley Conference rival Tennessee State by a final score of 89-77.
In a game that featured plenty of high-flying dunks, timely threes, and and-ones on both sides, the Tigers (9-12, 5-5) topped the Golden Eagles (9-11, 4-5) for the sixth straight time on their home floor.
It was a fast-paced first half, with both sides making runs to take control of the game at different junctions. The Tigers sprinted out of the gates on their home floor, pushing out front 10-2 to open the night.
The purple and gold worked their way back over time, eventually delivering an 11-0 run of their own over a two-minute stretch to take their first lead of the ball game. TSU responded immediately with back-to-back buckets to push back in front, but it wouldn't last long.
Over the final 3:42 of the opening stanza, the Golden Eagles played spirited ball to fire up a 13-2 run and head into the locker room leading 47-40. Sophomore guard Kyle Layton put the exclamation point of the half, hitting a trio of free throws with less than a second to play.
With just over two seconds on the clock, Sparta native Grant Slatten checked into the game and delivered a perfect pass to a leaping Ola Ajiboye about five feet outside the arc. Ajiboye then flipped the ball to Layton, who drew the timely foul.
Tech enjoyed a mountain of success in the opening stanza, firing at a 53.1 percent clip and knocking down 5-of-12 tries from distance. The purple and gold also knocked down 8-of-12 free throws.
The momentum, unfortunately, did not follow the Cookeville crew back onto the court for the second half, as the Tigers unleashed a furious, 13-0 run to kick off the period. Tech was held to 0-for-7 shooting with two turnovers on its first nine possessions of the half.
Layton finally broke the Golden Eagles through, converting an old-fashioned three-point play to get Tech right back in the game. Cutting the deficit to just three, it marked the closest the purple and gold would get the rest of the night, as the offensive woes to open the half continued until the closing few minutes.
TSU limited the Cookeville crew to just 35.3 percent shooting from the floor and a 2-for-12 mark from beyond the arc over the final 20 minutes. After surrendering 16 fast-break points to the Golden Eagles in the first half, the Tigers held the purple and gold to just two in the second half.
Following a first-half outburst of 47 points, Tech managed just 30 in the second while the Tigers exploded for 49. For the night, TSU turned in 48 points in the paint while out-pacing the Golden Eagles on the glass, 43-36.
Despite the loss, Layton produced a remarkable performance with a career-high 20 points and a 7-for-7 showing at the charity stripe. The sharp shooter drilled a trio of triples in the contest while mixing in two assists and two steals.
Ajiboye chipped in 12 points and a team-high eight rebounds in 22 minutes off the bench, finishing 6-for-7 from the floor with two blocks. Junior guard Jaylon Johnson tallied 11 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists.
Slatten provided nine points on 4-for-7 efficiency off the bench while sophomore forward JaJuan Nicholls scored seven points on 3-for-6 shooting. Ray Glasgow ended the evening with six points, five boards, and four dimes off the pine.
The Golden Eagles continue their four-game road stretch on Saturday afternoon, heading to Martin, Tenn. for an in-state battle with league rival UT Martin at 3:30 p.m. CT.
Photo by Thomas Corhern
