Golden Eagles Travel to Little Rock for New Year's Day Clash
Tennessee Tech men’s basketball hits the road to Little Rock for an OVC matchup on New Year’s Day at 5 p.m. CT.
| Final | 1 | 2 | T |
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28 | 30 | 58 |
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26 | 51 | 77 |
Team Stats
Little Rock
| Game Statistics | Tennessee Tech | Little Rock |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (18-65) | (28-53) |
| Field Goal % | 27.7% | 52.8% |
| Rebounds | 45 | 34 |
| Assists | 7 | 14 |
| Turnovers | 16 | 11 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 14 | 21 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 16 | 9 |
| Pts in the Paint | 20 | 32 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 6 | 16 |
| Bench Pts | 23 | 16 |
By Jeff Bowe, TTU Athletics Media Relations
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Tennessee Tech men's basketball hits the road to Little Rock for an OVC matchup on New Year's Day at 5 p.m. CT.
The Golden Eagles (6-8, 1-2 OVC) ring in a new year with a conference matchup against the Trojans (4-9, 1-1 OVC) in Little Rock. Tech has dropped two in a row with a 78-66 loss to the TSU on Tuesday after a 9-day break from action. Little Rock has been idle since taking down Williams Baptist 98-84 on Wednesday, Dec. 22.
GAME INFORMATION
Matchup: Tennessee Tech (6-8, 1-2 OVC) at Little Rock (4-9, 1-1 OVC)
Date & Time: Thursday, Jan. 1 at 5 p.m. CT.
Venue: Jack Stephens Center
Watch: ESPN+
Radio: 106.1 The Eagle | Noah McKay (PxP) and Frank Harrell (Analyst)
Tennessee Tech Game Notes
JaJuan Nicholls led TTU in scoring with 19 points on 9-of-9 shooting with five rebounds in 21 minutes on the floor. Nicholls was perfect from the floor for the first time this season; his previous top shooting percentage was 10-of-11 (90.9%) against Virginia Lynchburg (22 points) on Nov. 10. He scored in double-digits for the first time since recording 13 at Georgia on Nov. 29.
Nicholls recorded his fifth game in double digits so far this season. He has shot 50.0 percent or greater from the field in 12 of 14 games played this season. It's the first time this season that a Golden Eagle has shot 100 percent from the field with a minimum of nine shot attempts. The nine made shots are the second most in a single game this season, sitting behind his own effort (10) against Va. Lynchburg. He has recorded 141 total points this season, which, through 14 games, is well on its way to besting his career-best 195 points a season ago (23 games).
The Golden Eagles had a solid night shooting, going 13-of-29 from the field in the first half (44.8%) and 17-of-28 from the hardwood (60.7%) in the second half to finish 52.6 percent (30-57) for the game. Outshooting TSU 52.6-48.6 percent.
INSIDE THE SERIES
Overall: Little Rock leads, 5-1
In Cookeville: Little Rock leads 3-0
In Little Rock: Little Rock leads 2-1
Neutral sites: 0-0
Current Streak: Little Rock won 5
Last Meeting: Tech lost at Little Rock 79-75 (Feb. 13, 2025)
CAREER HIGHS
Brandon Muntu dropped a career-high 22 points against Bethel (Tenn.) on Dec. 13, making a career-best six three-pointers in the process. That performance was one of six double-digit scoring efforts this season for the guard from Calgary, Alberta.
JaJuan Nicholls posted a career-best 9-of-9 shooting (100%, min. 9 attempts) against Tennessee State on Tuesday, Dec. 30.
Ty Owens has recorded his career-best 15 points twice this season: first at Georgia (11/29); second at Lipscomb (12/3). He also notched a career-high five rebounds in the matchup at Lipscomb. Owens dished out a career-best eight assists against Va. Lynchburg (11/10).
Dani Pounds posted a career-high 22 points in the first conference win (85-74) over SEMO on Dec. 18. In that contest, he made a career-high 14 free throws on a career-high 17 free-throw attempts.
C.J. McPherson has recorded a career-high 12 points three times this season: first against Berea (11/13); second at Georgia (11/29), and third against Bethel (12/13).
OPPONENT NOTES
Little Rock has won two in a row with victories over Southern Indiana (W, 77-62) and Williams Baptist (Ark.) (98-84). The 98 points marked the most scored in a game this season for the Trojans.
Little Rock is 2-1 at home and 2-8 on the road this season. Jonathan Lawson leads the Trojans with 15.4 points per game. Cameron Wallace is second on the team in scoring with 13.5 ppg, and Kachi Nzeh is third with 10.8 ppg.
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