By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech men's basketball team visits Cape Girardeau, Mo. for its final road tilt of the regular season Saturday afternoon, squaring off with Southeast Missouri in a critical, 3:45 p.m. CT affair in the Show Me 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+.
Saturday's match-up marks the 63rd in program history between Tech and Southeast Missouri. The Golden Eagles own a 39-23 advantage in the series, but the Redhawks hold a 16-13 edge when competing in Cape Girardeau.
Up until January's tilt in Cookeville, the two sides had traded victories over the previous eight match-ups, with Tech boasting the last winning streak in the series with three straight dubs in 2020. The Redhawks finally snapped the streak on Jan. 16, holding off a furious comeback bid by the purple and gold for a 77-70 win.
Junior guard Jaylon Johnson, who was 2-for-2 with four points in the opening period, sparked a massive, second-half rally for the Cookeville crew. The Houston native dropped 17 of Tech's first 26 points in the half, helping slash the deficit to just five points.
With eight minutes to play, local Rickman native Matthew Sells buried a clutch trey in transition, closing the gap to just two points. The Redhawks regrouped during the next media break, using a 9-0 run to push back out by 11 points and keep just enough distance the rest of the way.
Tech closed things back to three points with 90 seconds on the clock, but it would be the closest the home squad would come, as SEMO's Braxton Stacker drained a clutch 3-pointer on the next possession.
Johnson led all scorers in the contest with a game-high 21 points on 8-for-11 shooting. He added five rebounds and two assists to the mix for good measure. Junior forward Ola Ajiboye tacked on a season-high 13 points of his own, delivering a perfect 4-for-4 display from the floor and a 5-for-6 effort from the charity stripe. The big man dished out three helpers as well.
Southeast Missouri enters Saturday's contest following a big road win at Little Rock on Tuesday night. The Redhawks 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 SEMO after falling in a nail-biter at Little Rock, 79-75, Thursday evening. The Cookeville crew shot a red-hot 65.4 percent from the floor in the first half, including a 7-for-12 display from distance, but the Trojans stayed in the game by forcing nine turnovers.
Tech extended its 43-38 halftime lead to 10 points with 13:30 to play, but Little Rock flipped the game on its head with a 20-2 run over the next seven minutes. The Trojan defense was unimpeachable, forcing scoring droughts of 4:04, 3:58, and 2:33 for the Golden Eagles over the final 13 minutes of the game.
Johnson led Tech with 21 points and seven assists, finishing 3-for-6 from deep and 6-for-6 from the charity stripe. Senior forward Rodney Johnson Jr. just missed a double-double with 11 points, nine rebounds, and four assists.
Sophomore forward JaJuan Nicholls also tallied 11 points while shooting 5-for-7 from the field. Junior center David Craig provided a huge presence off the bench, hauling in a game-high 11 rebounds while chipping in seven points. Sells knocked down three of his four attempts from 3-point range, finishing the night with nine points.
Photo by Jim Dillon
