Mekhi Cameron led the way with 15 pts | Photo: Jeff Bowe, TTU Athletics Media Relations
Mekhi Cameron led the way with 15 pts | Photo: Jeff Bowe, TTU Athletics Media Relations
January 10, 2026

Golden Eagles Grind Out 59-54 Comeback Victory Over Western Illinois

Tennessee Tech men's basketball grinded out a gritty 59-54 comeback win over Western Illinois on the road Saturday. 

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By Jeff Bowe, TTU Athletics Media Relations 

MACOMB, Ill. – Tennessee Tech men's basketball grinded out a gritty 59-54 comeback win over Western Illinois on the road Saturday. 

Tennessee Tech snaps a four-game losing streak and improves to 7-10 overall and 2-4 in the OVC with the hard-fought five-point win over Western Illinois. Tech earns its first road win against WIU in only the third matchup away from Cookeville. The Leathernecks fall to 4-13 overall and 0-6 in the conference with the loss.

The Golden Eagles scored 41 second-half points and limited WIU to just nine made shots in the second 20 minutes.

Leading the way for Tech was Mekhi Cameron with 15 points on 5-of-11 shooting, 1-of-3 from three, and 4-of-4 from the free-throw line. Cameron recorded his 10th game in double figures this season and first since dropping 19 on UT Martin on Dec. 20.

Tech finished with three players in double figures, with Dani Pounds adding 11 points and Malik Ferguson chipping in with 11 on the way to a pivotal win. Pounds led the Golden Eagles with eight rebounds. Ferguson, Jacobe Whitted, and Mekhi Turner grabbed four boards apiece. 

TTU bounced back from a tough first half after scoring only 18 points in the first 20 minutes. WIU opened with an 8-0 run and led by 10 with 1:04 left in the first half. Tech cut the advantage to eight at the break with a jumper by Ferguson.

In the second stanza, Tech cut into the lead immediately with buckets from Ferguson, Pounds, Brandon Muntu, and Cameron, making it a two-point game with 16:26 left (27-29). A 7-0 run with 17:55 left in the second half helped the Golden Eagles erase the Leathernecks' lead. 

The Golden Eagles outscored the Leathernecks 41-28 in the second half, led by 10 points from Pounds and Cameron on 57.1 percent shooting (16-28).

TTU grabbed its largest lead of the game, eight points, with 2:40 left to play after Pounds sank a layup. Pounds and Cameron led the way in the final 20 minutes with crucial momentum-changing plays.

Cameron went coast-to-coast on a steal and layup and then ran down the shot clock to the final couple of seconds and drove to the basket for two to put the Golden Eagles up five, marking a key play in the five-point win. 

WIU won the shooting battle 42.2 percent to 42.1 percent, but Tech forced 15 turnovers and scored 14 points off those miscues by the Leathernecks.

The dominant performance in the paint, outscoring WIU 40-24 in the lane for the game. Tech held a 12-4 edge in fastbreak points and a 17-7 advantage on bench points.

10 different Golden Eagles recorded points with Muntu (2 pts), Ty Owens (3 pts), Ja'Quavian Florence (2 pts), JaJuan Nicholls (2 pts), and Jah'Kim Payne (4 pts) each contributing points in the win.

The Golden Eagles made 24 shots to the Leatherneck's 19 but lost the rebound battle 35-31. WIU held the lead for 27:06 while Tech took the lead late and did not let it go for the final 11:14 of the game. There was one lead change, and the game was tied just twice.

NEXT UP
 Tech splits its road trip through Illinois and returns home for a two-game homestand against Southern Indiana on Thursday, January 15 (7:30 p.m.), and Morehead State on Saturday, January 17 (3 p.m.).

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