By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – A physical battle from start to finish, the Tennessee Tech men's basketball team dropped a heartbreaker on Senior Day Saturday afternoon, falling to Lindenwood, 76-74, in the Hooper Eblen Center in the 2024-25 regular-season finale.
Leading the visiting Lions (15-16, 10-10) by 12 points with 5:35 to play, the Golden Eagles (15-16, 10-10) struggled offensively down the stretch as the intensity and physicality of the visiting defense intensified. Lindenwood forced four Tech turnovers over the stretch, ripping off a 19-5 run to end the ball game.
After the Cookeville crew tied the contest with just over 30 seconds to play on a Rodney Johnson Jr. floater in the paint, the night came to a close on a tough foul call with time running down. Lindenwood knocked down the ensuing free throws and held on for the two-point win.
The contest was a defensive struggle in the opening half, with the purple and gold earning a 31-28 advantage. In the second half, both offensives were far more efficient, each shooting above 50 percent for the period.
The Lions also took better advantage of their opportunities at the charity stripe over the final 20 minutes sinking 14-of-17 tries to Tech's 11-for-17 performance in the second half. The Golden Eagles endured one of their toughest shooting nights from beyond the arc as well, sinking just five triples on 23 attempts.
Junior guard Jaylon Johnson ended the evening tied for the team lead with 22 points, sinking 8-of-9 tries from the free-throw line. He added five rebounds and a team-high five assists to the mix while extending his streak of consecutive games with at least one made 3-pointer to all 31 games this season.
Sophomore forward JaJuan Nicholls matched his teammate's scoring effort on a perfect night from the field, scoring 22 points on 9-for-9 shooting. He also tied for the team lead with seven rebounds with junior forward Daniel Egbuniwe, who corralled seven boards with seven points and four assists.
Competing in his final game in the Hoop in his career, local Sparta native Grant Slatten chipped in seven points, three boards, two dimes, and a team-high three steals. Johnson Jr. also produced seven points in his last showing in the Hoop, snagging four rebounds as well while limited to 15 minutes due to foul trouble.
Despite the loss, the Golden Eagles secured the No. 5 seed in next week's Ohio Valley Conference Tournament, setting up another match-up with No. 8 seeded UT Martin. The two in-state rivals will square off Wednesday evening in a 6:00 p.m. CT affair at the Ford Center in Evansville, Ind.
Photo by Jim Dillon
