Tough Second Half Sends Tech to 71-61 loss at Eastern Illinois
The Tennessee Tech men’s basketball team couldn’t hold on to a seven-point lead, falling 71-61 to Eastern Illinois on the road Thursday night.
| Final | 1 | 2 | T |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
36 | 25 | 61 |
|
|
29 | 42 | 71 |
Team Stats
Eastern Illinois
| Game Statistics | Tennessee Tech | Eastern Illinois |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (18-46) | (25-57) |
| Field Goal % | 39.1% | 43.9% |
| Rebounds | 31 | 30 |
| Assists | 12 | 10 |
| Turnovers | 15 | 8 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 2 | 23 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 9 | 14 |
| Pts in the Paint | 20 | 32 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 6 | 16 |
| Bench Pts | 28 | 23 |
By Jeff Bowe, TTU Athletics Media Relations
CHARLESTON, Ill. – The Tennessee Tech men's basketball team couldn't hold on to a seven-point lead, falling 71-61 to Eastern Illinois on the road Thursday night.
The Golden Eagles (6-10, 1-4 OVC) drop their fourth straight game with the 10-point loss after leading by seven through 20 minutes of play. EIU snaps its two-game losing skid with the win and improves to 2-3 in the conference and 5-10 overall.
Jah'Kim Payne led the Golden Eagles with a career-high 11 points, all in the first half, shooting 3-of-5 from the field, all threes, and 2-of-2 from the free-throw line. Mekhi Turner was the second Golden Eagle in double figures with 10 points on 3-of-4 from the field and 4-of-4 from the free-throw line. Turner records his third game in double digits this season, after scoring 16 at Georgia and 20 against Va. Lynchburg.
Payne posted his first double-digit scoring game after making a season-high three three-pointers.
The Golden Eagles opened the game with an 8-0 run and quickly found themselves in front 10-3 in the first half. TTU outshot EIU 45.8 percent to 31.0 percent in the first 20 minutes of play, as well as holding advantages in rebounds (20-15), made free throws (8-7), bench points (19-13), and assists (7-4).
Tech went into the locker room at halftime up 36-29 after making 11-of-24 shots from the field, including six three-pointers.
In the second half, EIU shot 57.1 percent, making 16-of-28 shots, including 4-of-10 from three-point range. The Golden Eagles struggled from three, going 0-of-7 from distance in the final 20 minutes.
EIU recorded its largest run of the game, 6-0, with 8:54 left in the second half and only held the lead for 8:54. The Panthers outscored the Golden Eagles 32-20 in the paint, 14-9 on second-chance points, and 16-6 on fast-break opportunities.
The Golden Eagles were outscored 42-25 in the final 20 minutes and dropped their fourth straight game 71-61.
Brandon Muntu added nine points on 3-of-10 shooting, including 2-of-7 from three. Malik Ferguson posted nine points on 4-of-10 from the field, 1-of-4 from three. Ty Owens led the team with four assists and finished with seven points, and Mekhi Cameron scored six points, all from the free-throw line, going 6-of-6 from the stripe.
TTU committed 15 turnovers to EIU's eight, and the Panthers capitalized on those turnovers with 23 points compared to just two for the Golden Eagles.
EIU finished with five players in double figures, led by Andre Washington's 20 points on 8-of-13 from the field. The Panthers struggled in the first half with just nine made shots, but 57.1% (16-28) second-half shooting helped flip the game in their favor.
Each team held an 11-point lead in the contest; Tech's came with 10:07 left in the first half and EIU's occurred with 2:53 left in the game.
There was one lead change, and the game was tied just once.
NEXT UP
The Golden Eagles head across the land of Lincoln to face Western Illinois in Macomb, Ill., on Saturday, Jan. 10 at 3:30 p.m. CT. Watch the game live on ESPN+ and listen live on 106.1 The Eagle.
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