A 14-0 Tennessee State run in the first half and the Tigers were able to build on that advantage in the second half as they went on to defeat Tennessee Tech 88-76.
Tennessee Tech got the scoring started, taking a 2-0 lead on a pair of Dani Pounds free throws. Three pointers on consecutive possessions from Travis Harper II and Jalen Pitre gave the Tigers a 6-2 lead at the 17:51 mark of the opening half. Tech would reggain the lead 10-8 on a Malik Ferguson jumper with 14:12 remaining in the half. The Golden Eagles built as much a seven point lead at 19-12, before a 14-0 run from Tennessee State put the Tigers up
26-19 at the 8:01 mark. Ty Owens’ layup pulled the Golden Eagles within three points at 26-23. A 14-4 spurt by Tennessee State put the Tigers up 40-30, and they would take a 44-33 lead into halftime.
In the second half Tennessee State continued to show the way by double figures, extending the lead to 20 at 74-53 on Antoine Lorick III’s bomb from downtown at the 9:53 mark. Enjoying a 20-point advantage , the Tigers appeared to have control of the game and on the path to cruising to a comfortable victory. However a 17-6 burst from the Golden Eagles trimmed the TSU lead to 80-71 with 2:31 remaining in the contest. Tennessee State responded with six points over the next 58 seconds to push the lead to 86-71 with only 1:33 left to play, hanging on to claim a 88-76 win.
Travis Harper II canned 9 from downtown on the path to a team-high 29 points. Antoine Lorick III added 15 points, Dante Harris put in 14 points; Jalen Pitre recorded a double double with 11 points and a team leading 15 rebounds.
The Tigers (7-5, 1-1) return to action Saturday, January 3 when they hit the road to take on Little Rock. Tip off is scheduled for 3 pm CST.
