By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech men's basketball team takes its talents to the national spotlight Saturday afternoon, squaring off with in-state rival Tennessee State at 1:00 p.m. CT in the Hooper Eblen Center in a contest set to be aired live nationally on ESPNU.
The action can be followed live via radio with Roger Ealey and Frank Harrell on the call on 106.1 The Eagle while Matt Martucci and Richie Schueler will provide television coverage of the contest on ESPNU and via stream on ESPN+.
The contest on Saturday will serve as part of Legends Weekend, with all former men's basketball alumni invited back to celebrate the program's history. Special recognition will be provided for the 1984-85 and 2004-05 Ohio Valley Conference regular season championship squads.
It will also be Gold Rush in the Hoop on Saturday, with fans encouraged to wear gold and pack the stands for a thrilling day of basketball. Gold t-shirts will be distributed throughout the game as well.
Saturday's match-up marks the 80th in program history between Tech and Tennessee State. The Tigers own a slight, 41-38 advantage in the series, but the Golden Eagles hold the edge when competing in Cookeville, 21-17.
TSU has won six of the past eight meetings overall, but the Golden Eagles have stood their ground at home, claiming three of the past four match-ups in the Eblen Center.
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.
When the two sides went to battle earlier this season in Nashville, the Tigers dominated the second half to rally from a seven-point deficit at the break. The Golden Eagles ended the first stanza on a 13-2 run to take a 47-40 advantage into the locker room of the Gentry Center, but couldn't replicate the performance in the second half.
The purple and gold were held to just 35.3 percent shooting and a 2-for-12 mark from beyond the arc in the second half. 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.
Despite the loss, sophomore guard Kyle Layton produced a remarkable performance with a career-high 20 points and a 7-for-7 showing at the charity stripe. The sharpshooter drilled a trio of triples in the contest while mixing in two assists and two steals.
Junior forward Ola 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.
Tennessee State enters Saturday's contest after topping UT Martin 86-75 on the road on Tuesday night. The Tigers held the Skyhawks to just 27 first-half points, taking a 16-point advantage into the locker room. UTM dropped 48 points in the second half, but it was too little too late as the Tigers stayed red hot with its eighth victory in the last 10 games.
Tech takes on its in-state rival after toughing out a 71-66 victory over the Skyhawks in overtime Thursday evening in the Hoop. UT Martin erased a 10-point deficit with just over three minutes to play in regulation, tying the game on a 25-foot prayer by Josue Grullon with 0.8 seconds and forcing overtime.
The Skyhawks jumped out to a quick four-point lead in the extra session, but Tech turned the tables over the final three minutes, ending the contest on a 9-0 run with seven points coming at the charity stripe.
Putting together a massive performance for the purple and gold, Johnson Jr. just missed a double-double while leading Tech with 18 points and nine rebounds. The veteran ended the night 7-for-14 from the floor and an impressive 4-for-8 from downtown, mixing in a career-high three steals.
Johnson tallied 16 points with a 9-for-10 showing at the stripe and seven boards. He paced the Cookeville crew with four assists and four steals as well. Local Rickman native Matthew Sells continued his hot shooting from beyond the arc, dropping 12 points on 4-for-6 shooting from distance while mixing in three dimes and a season-high six rebounds.
Photo by Jim Dillon
