Sports

Men’s basketball on two game skid

The Tech men’s basketball team looks to bounce back after a loss to Belmont when they host Jacksonville State University Feb. 9 at 7 p.m.
The Golden Eagles visited Nashville Saturday to take on the no. 1 team in the conference, the Belmont Bruins. (Ultram)
After a close first half the Bruins had a three point lead over the visiting Tech team, however, poor ball handling and the Bruins’ key ability to capitalize on other team’s mistakes ultimately lead to their ninth win in OVC play.
“Fortunately for them, every time they (Bruins) drove it to the rim there was some contact and they were successful at the free throw line,” Tech head coach, Steve Payne, said. “Against a team like Belmont, you’ve got to take care of the ball and knock down some shots.”
Senior guard Jud Dillard tied his mark from last season with his eighth double-double of the year scoring 17 points and pulling down 10 boards.
Junior forward Dennis Ogbe lead Tech’s scoring attack with 19 points and going 3 for 4 from behind the arc.
Sophomore guard Javon McKay had a career high four assists against the Bruins which lead the team in that category.
The Golden Eagles will need to win out in the rest of their conference game to obtain a .500 record in OVC play but coach Payne said he cannot look that far ahead right now.
“You can’t really worry about the tournament right now,” Payne said. “We’ve got to try to be the best we can be, day to day and game to game.”
Payne said that having Jacksonville State in the Hoop Saturday is going to be a good opportunity for his team to get some momentum at home and get their February going.
“Jacksonville State is a veteran team with a lot of guys that can make plays,” said Payne. “We’ve got to be able to take care of the ball, draw some contact at the rim, and hit our free throws.”
Payne commended the faculty and students on their student support over the last few games and is hopeful that it will continue as they look to make a run in February.
Saturday’s festivities include the Tech women’s basketball team taking on Jacksonville State University at 5:30 p.m. before the men tip off against JSU at 7:30 p.m.