January 6, 2011

Back-and-forth OVC battle goes to Morehead State, 76-64

Tennessee Tech put up a good fight Thursday night but the Golden Eagles fell to host Morehead State, 76-64, in a back-and-forth OVC battle.

MOREHEAD, Ky. – A crowd of 2,206 fans were on hand to witness a solid performance put on by both squads to resume Ohio Valley Conference play as Tennessee Tech dropped the 76-64 decision at Morehead State Thursday night.

Tech opened the game scoring nine straight points, seven of which came off the hands of sophomore guard Jud Dillard, to set the tone. Morehead State responded with a run of its own as it went on a 19-0 stretch to make it 19-9.

The Golden Eagles made their way back to knot up the score at 21 after a Dillard lay-in. Morehead State was able to scratch out an 11-7 run to finish the half with a 32-28 lead heading into the locker room.

TTU was paced by Dillard on the offensive end who posted 14 points in the first half, while Terrance Hill added 11 points for MSU before the break. As a team, Tech took a 20-16 rebound advantage, while shooting 40 percent from the field in the opening 20 minutes.

The Golden Eagles came out firing in the second half as they put together an 11-6 run as Tech took its first lead of the contest since midway in the first half, going up, 39-38. The back-and-forth action continued, seeing three leads changes with MSU holding a two-point lead at 57-55 with 5:56 left in the contest.

Morehead State would take over the finial 5:56 of the game, finishing on a 19-9 run to take the contest.

Dillard led the Golden Eagle offense with 20 points, while freshman guard Chase Dunn added 10 points, connecting on 3-of-5 shots from downtown. Junior guard Zac Swansey dished out a game-high six assists to go along with his eight points.

Morehead State saw four players reach double-figures in points with Kenneth Faried leading the way with 20 to go along with his 13 rebounds. Sam Goodwin added 11 points for the Eagles, all of which came at the free throw line.

Tech (6-7, 2-2 OVC) wraps up its two-game road trip Saturday as it takes on Eastern Kentucky. Opening tip is set for 6 p.m. CT.