By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech men's basketball team hits the highway for one final road trip of the regular season, starting with a 7:00 p.m. CT match-up at Little Rock Thursday evening at the Jack Stephens Center.
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+.
Thursday's match-up marks just the sixth in program history between Tech and Little Rock. The Trojans own a 4-1 advantage in the short series, including victories in each of the past four meetings. The Golden Eagles claimed the inaugural contest on Jan. 19, 2023, topping the Trojans on their home court, 77-75. Little Rock returned the favor two weeks later, besting the purple and gold in Cookeville, 91-89.
Last season, the Trojans used strong offensive showings to pick up a pair of wins, starting with an 81-75 decision in the Hoop on Dec. 28. Rodney Johnson Jr. tallied 12 points and eight rebounds in the loss. In last year's regular-season finale, Little Rock dominated on its home court to the tune of an 81-43 decision. Kyle Layton led Tech with 14 points in the ball game.
When the two sides squared off this year back on Jan. 18, Little Rock kept its perfect record in the Eblen Center intact with a 77-71 win. The Trojans outpaced the Cookeville crew 40-10 inside the lane, holding Tech to just six total two-point field goals the entire day.
The Golden Eagles proved one of their top strengths remained with the long ball, sinking a season-high 15 triples on 30 attempts. The barrage from deep provided the purple and gold a halftime lead of 35-34 and kept the home squad in the ball game until late.
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.
Little Rock enters Thursday's contest following a tough home loss to Southeast Missouri Tuesday night. SEMO claimed the defensive struggle, 57-45, holding the Trojans to their second-lowest scoring output of the year and worst in league play.
Tech takes on Little Rock after picking up a 59-54 win in Cookeville over Eastern Illinois on Saturday, winning its own defensive struggle behind a great display from distance. The Golden Eagles finished 11-for-24 from distance, holding off a late charge by the Panthers to secure the win.
Four members of the Tech crew finished the day in double figures in scoring, led by Jaylon Johnson. The junior guard knocked down a pair of triples while turning in 12 points and team-highs of six rebounds and four assists.
Johnson Jr. produced 11 points on 3-for-4 shooting, backed by a 3-for-3 display from deep. He also corralled six boards with two dimes. Sophomore forward JaJuan Nicholls ended the day 5-for-10 from the floor on his way to 11 points, four rebounds, three assists, and three blocks.
Egbuniwe chipped in 10 points, five boards, two assists while knocking down three of his four attempts from beyond the arc. Sells mixed in six points, three boards, and four dimes with a pair of triples for good measure.
Photo by Jim Dillon
