Golden Eagles trim Loyola Ramblers, 74-69, in home opener
Senior Dennis Ogbe led Tennessee Tech with 13 points and nine rebounds, helping the Golden Eagles pull out a 74-69 home opening win over Loyola Tuesday night in Eblen Center.
| Final | 1 | 2 | T |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
32 | 37 | 69 |
|
|
32 | 42 | 74 |
Team Stats
Loyola (Ill.)
| Game Statistics | Loyola (Ill.) | Tennessee Tech |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (23-45) | (27-56) |
| Field Goal % | 51.1% | 48.2% |
| Rebounds | 25 | 39 |
| Assists | 13 | 8 |
| Turnovers | 14 | 13 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 12 | 10 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 6 | 18 |
| Bench Pts | 5 | 45 |
By Rob Schabert, Assistant Athletic Director for Sports
Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – It took Jeremiah
Samarrippas nearly 39 minutes to get his first assist of the
game, but he couldn't have picked a better time.
His bounce pass inside to Dennis Ogbe led to
a three-point play by the Senior Class Award nominee, and proved to
be the difference in a nail-biter as Tennessee Tech squeaked out a
74-69 victory Tuesday night over Loyola Chicago in Eblen
Center.
Clinging to a one-point lead after erasing a 12-point deficit,
Ogbe's layup and free throw with 1:14 to play made it 73-69. Jordan
Johnson added one free throw with 22 seconds to go for the
final margin as Loyola misfired on a couple of 3-point tries.
It was a night when Tech (1-1) celebrated the 50-year
anniversary of the 1962-63 Tech team (photo below left) that won
the OVC championship and played this same Loyola in the NCAA
Tournament. When the final horn sounded, the current Golden Eagles
continued the celebration in the dressing room after winning their
home opener.
Ogbe topped Tech with 13 points on 6-for-7 shooting and grabbed a
game-best nine rebounds, one of four players to net double figures
in the scoring column. Ladon Carter
added 12 points, also hitting 6-for-7 from the field, and pulled
down seven rebounds. Ty Allen, the top
scorer in the OVC, chipped in 11 and Samarrippas finished with 10
points. Eleven of the 12 Tech players who saw the court scored.
Loyola (1-1) got big scoring nights from three players, led by
Milton Doyle's 23 who was 4-for-7 from long range. Christian Thomas
added 18 and Jeff White finished with 12.
Nothing much was settled through the first 20 minutes of play,
and the teams headed into the break tied at 32-32. Tech led for
most of the opening half, with the score tied four times and the
lead changing hands six times. The Golden Eagles led y as many as
seven, 19-12, midway through.
Loyola was on fire from long range to open the second half, with
Doyle, Joe Crisman, Doyle again, and White all raining down
3-pointers. Doyle's third straight bomb with 15:26 to play pushed
the Ramblers to a 51-39 lead, the largest difference in the
game.
Carter scored back-to-back baskets and Matt Marseille
added another as the Golden Eagles began whittling away at the
deficit. Tech finally tied the game at 56-56 with 9:12 to
play on a jumper by Ty Allen.
The score was tied four more times in the next three minutes
before a free throw by Allen with 5:45 put Tech ahead to
stay. Loyola kept it close, pulling to within one point,
70-69, with 1:32 left on a layup from Thomas, and setting the stage
for Ogbe's deciding play.
Loyola shot 51.1 percent from the field (23-for-45) and 47.4
percent (9-for-19) from the arc. The Ramblers were 14-for-23 from
the charity stripe for 60.9 percent.
Tech shot 48.2 percent from the field (27-for-56), including 50 percent in the second half. The Golden Eagles were 5-for-16 from 3-point range and 15-for-24 (62.5 percent) from the free throw line. Tech owned a 39-25 advantage on the glass, including a 15-4 margin in offensive rebounds.
The Golden Eagles head to Texas this weekend for three games in
Corpus Christi in the Holiday Inn Downtown Marina Islanders
Tournament. Tech meets Texas-Pan American on Friday, Texas
A&M-Corpus Christi Saturday, and closes against IPFW on
Sunday.
All of the games can be heard on the Golden Eagle Sports Network,
with Dylan Vazzano courtside to call the action.
