Golden Eagle depth shines as Tech posts 103-76 win over Redhawks
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - A 17-4 start ignited Tennessee Tech and a
deep bench shined as the Golden Eagles rolled to a 103-76 Ohio
Valley Conference victory over visiting Southeast Missouri Saturday
night in Eblen Center.
Thirteen different players scored for coach Mike Sutton's squad,
led by guards Will Barnes and Frank Davis with 18 points apiece.
The Golden Eagles had 34 assists in the contest, the most ever
against a Division I opponent and the second highest in school
history.
Tech came out smokin' during the first 10 minutes, hitting 60
percent from the field to grab a 22-11 lead with just over 11
minutes remaining in the half. SEMO closed to within six points a
couple of times, the last being at 28-22 with 7:22 remaining before
the break.
In the second period, after Tech built the margin to 18 points, the
Redhawks cut it down to 11, 57-46, with 15 minutes to play. Still
within 12 midway through the half, the Redhawks watched as Tech
used a 9-2 run to swell the margin to 21 points.
The final 27-point margin matched Tech's biggest lead of the night.
Tech hit the 100-point mark for the second time this season when
Alfred Jones arched in a 3-pointer to make it 101-76 with 25
seconds left.
It was Barnes who was the catalyst in the first half, hitting
4-for-5 from long range and pouring in 16 points during the first
20 minutes. He finished with 18 points and five assists.
In the second half, Davis made five of his six 3-pointers, scoring
15 of his 18 points after the break. He was 6-for-10 from behind
the arc and also had six assists.
Daniel Northern added 17 points, seven rebounds and three blocked
shots, while Kevin Murphy scored 10 points and had five
assists.
Calvin Murphy paced SEMO with 24 points and 11 rebounds, while
Jaycen Herring added 18 points and a team-high three assists.
Jajuan Maxwell scored 12 points and nabbed six rebounds, and LaMont
Russell had 11 points and five boards.
As a team, Tech shot 57 percent from the field, going 14-for-29
from 3-point range for 48.3 percent. SEMO also hit 50 percent,
shooting 27-for-53.
Tech has now won 12 of the last 13 over Southeast Missouri.
Tech is back on the floor Monday night at 7:30 p.m. when Eastern
Illinois visits for another OVC tilt.
