Golden Eagles return from finals to host Union College Bulldogs
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. -- More than a week since their last game, the
Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles return to action Sunday afternoon by
hosting Union College (Ky.) in a non-conference game. Tipoff in
Eblen Center is at 2 p.m., and as a special feature, fans will be
admitted free by presenting a church bulletin.
Tech and Union have met only five times through the years, with the
Golden Eagles holding a one-game edge. Tech earned a 97-54 victory
in Eblen Center in the third game of last season, pushing Tech on
top in the series, 3-2.
In last year's win, Amadi McKenzie led the way with a career-high
24 points and six rebounds, one of five Golden Eagles to score in
double figures as Tech claimed its first win of the season.
In addition to McKenzie's production, Anthony Fisher, Rashaud Nixon
and Charles Moore each scored 14 points and Frank Davis netted
12.
Union was led in scoring by seniors Aaron Dunaway and Brian Kirk
with 10 points each.
An 18-3 run by Tech to start the second half opened the gap to a
30-point margin and the Golden Eagles continued to pull away. Tech
got on top by 42 points, 80-38, for the largest lead of the
contest.
Tech forced 31 turnovers and held the Bulldogs to 38.8 percent
shooting from the field. Tech also blocked six shots, five by
Daniel Northern. Tech had 20 steals in the game, with Nixon getting
a career-high six thefts.
After opening the year with five straight losses, Union has found
the right combination over the past month and the Bulldogs have won
six of their last eight games for a 6-7 overall record.
On Saturday, the Bulldogs slipped past Virginia Intermont, 79-75,
then claimed a 76-70 victory Tuesday night over Alice Lloyd
College.
Like Tech's Mike Sutton, Union head coach Kelly Combs is in his
seventh season at the helm and comes to Cookeville with a 103-108
career record. A Richmond, Ky., native, Combs is a 1992 graduate of
Eastern Kentucky University. He guided the 2002-03 Bulldogs to a
22-11 record, the program's first 20-win season in nine years.
As a player, Combs was a Bulldog in the 1987-88 season, then
transferred to Kentucky Christian College and helped win the NCCAA
National Championship.
Three players are averaging in double figures on the scoreboard for
the Bulldogs, with two more close behind. Beau Brown, a 6-3 junior
guard from Athens, Tenn., tops Union with 12.9 points per game and
is second on the squad in rebounds with 4.2 per contest.
Next in scoring is 6-6 sophomore James Johnson from Lexington, Ky.,
averaging 11.1 points. He is shooting a team-best 59 percent from
the field and leads the team in rebounds with 5.5 per game.
The third Bulldog hitting double figures is 5-9 sophomore guard
Michael Hester from Independence, Ky., with 10.5 points per game.
Hester also leads Union in assists and steals.
Also chipping in have been Kearney Demus, a 6-3 junior forward from
Lexington, Ky., with 9.7 points per game, and Brett Miller, a 6-9
junior from Carrolton, Ky., with 8.4 points per game.
The Golden Eagles are 5-2 this season, dropping an 82-66 decision
last Saturday to Jacksonville State. The Golden Eagles then took
the entire week off for final exams.
Tech also has three players scoring in double figures, led by
Northern's 12.7 points per game. He's shooting 50.9 percent and
leads Tech with 5.8 rebounds per contest. He also ranks first in
the league with 19 blocked shots.
DJ Lindsay is second on the team in both scoring (11.6 ppg) and
rebounds (5.7 rpg). Junior guard Will Barnes is the third double
digit scorer for Tech, averaging 10.6 points per game. Just behind
is Frank Davis with 9.9 points per game.
UP NEXT: The Golden Eagles load the bus right after the game
against Union and motor to the Sunshine State, where they challenge
the Florida State Seminoles Tuesday night. From there, Tech plays
at Vanderbilt on Saturday night and Louisiana-Monroe (Dec. 29) to
finish out the 2008 portion of the schedule.
