Tech in OVC Tournament semis after 72-68 comeback victory over EIU
The Tennessee Tech men's basketball team found yet another way to win Tuesday night, as they came back from a ten point halftime deficit to defeat Eastern Illinois 72-68, and advance to the semi-final round against Austin Peay on Friday afternoon at Gaylord Entertainment Center in Nashville.
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. -- The Tennessee Tech men's basketball team found yet another way to win Tuesday night, as they came back from a ten point halftime deficit to defeat Eastern Illinois 72-68, and advance to the semi-final round against Austin Peay on Friday afternoon at Gaylord Entertainment Center in Nashville.
A crowd of nearly 4,800 rallied behind the Golden Eagles, as they forced 21 Panther turnovers in the victory.
"We would just like to thank the city of Cookeville, and the student body for coming out tonight," said TTU head coach Mike Sutton. "Our crowd really gave us a lift, especially in our comeback in the second half. You have to give Eastern Illinois credit, as they gave their best effor, and simply wouldn't quit."
Eastern Illinois nearly became a spoiler, taking a 32-22 lead at the half after shooting 50 percent from the floor. Things got worse for Tech after a 4-0 run to start the second half gave the Panthers their biggest lead of the night at 36-22.
Tech chipped into the EIU lead by distributing the basketball. Tech trailed up to the 4:38 mark of the second half. Eight different players scored for Tech on a 24-13 run, before senior forward Ben Jacobson hit his second three-pointer of the game, sending Eblen Center into bedlam. Jacobson was one of Tech's reserves to have a huge night, scoring 12 points and grabbing four rebounds in just 16 minutes of action. Another was freshman guard Anthony Fisher, who had 14 points, including a perfect 9-for-9 from the foul line. The Golden Eagles finished 27-of-30 from the charity stripe in the game.
"We did an outstanding job at the foul line," said Sutton. "To go 23-of-24 in the second half was a great job of our guys stepping up in pressure situations."
Tech looked like it was going to pull away from EIU, taking a 56-49 lead after a lay-up from Jonathan Jones. EIU didn't go away, however, as Emanuel Dildy scored 15 of his game-high 20 points in the last :43 to keep EIU within at least five points on each possession. The Golden Eagles stepped up, making 16 straight free throws down the stretch, the two biggest from Jones with :12 remaining to clinch the victory for TTU.
"Jones was super tonight," said Sutton. "He hit those two foul shots to ice the game, and his stat line shows how valuable he was in the game."
Jones finished with eight points, three rebounds, three blocks, and three steals. The Golden Eagles were led by Willie Jenkins, who had 17 points.
Tech will now face APSU at 5:30 pm in Nashville. The teams split the season-series, with the home team winning each contest.
"All the teams remaining in the tournament are evenly matched," said Sutton. "It's anyone's tournament right now."
Tech improves its overall record to 18-10.
