Tech Gives Belmont all it can Handle in 74-70 Exhibition loss
Tennessee Tech men's basketball comeback falls short as it drops Exhibition finale 74-70 at Belmont in Nashville.
By Jeff Bowe, TTU Media Relations
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Tennessee Tech men's basketball comeback falls short as it drops Exhibition finale 74-70 at Belmont in Nashville.
The Golden Eagles finish Exhibition play with a 74-70 loss at Belmont after pushing the Bruins to the limit in a hard-fought contest. Tech opens the regular season on Monday, Nov. 3, at Western Kentucky at 6:30 p.m. CT.
Brandon Muntu led Tech in scoring with 14 points on 4-9 shooting, including 3-8 from three-point range and going 3-3 from the free-throw line. Muntu also grabbed three boards. Mekhi Cameron scored 11 points on 3-8 shooting from the field, making all four of his free-throw attempts with three total rebounds.
Jacobe Whitted was the third Golden Eagle to score in double digits with 10 points on 4-7 from the field, including making two three-pointers on four attempts.
JaJuan Nicholls added nine points and grabbed eight rebounds, Ty Owens scored six points, dished out three assists, and recorded four steals, and Ja'Quavian Florence scored five points and grabbed two rebounds.
The Golden Eagles went on a 12-0 run to cut the deficit to one (44-43) with 12:18 left in the second half. C.J. McPherson made a layup to bring the Golden Eagles within one point, but Belmont responded with a 13-0 run to pull away.
Tech found itself down 11 (54-43) with 9:56 left and couldn't quite pull off the comeback, falling 74-70.
As a team, the Golden Eagles shot 36.4 percent from the field (24-66), 27.6 percent (8-29) from the three-point range, and 66.7 percent from the free-throw line (14-21). Tech grabbed 38 rebounds, paced by Nicholls' eight boards and Whitted's seven rebounds. Belmont made just two more shots than Tech from the field in the game, but won the rebound battle 49-38.
The Golden Eagles made 5-7 field goals over the final couple of minutes to cut into the deficit and outscored Belmont 48-40 in the second half. Tech forced 19 turnovers and scored 23 points off those turnovers.
NEXT UP
Tech opens the regular season on Monday, Nov. 3, at Western Kentucky at 6:30 p.m. CT. The game can be watched live on ESPN+ and listened to on 106.1 The Eagle.
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