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COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – After being limited to 39 percent shooting in the first half Tennessee Tech shot 74 percent in the second half including a late 11-0 run as the Golden Eagles pulled away from Eastern Illinois, 75-65, on Thursday night.
TTU improved to 11-10 overall, 5-5 in the OVC while EIU fell to 11-10, 5-6 in the OVC. The two teams split the season series. The Panthers will return to action on Saturday with a 4:30 p.m. start at Jacksonville State.
#T.J. Marion# helped carry the Panthers offense in the early going as he was able to convert on several base line cuts to the bucket scoring ten first half points shooting 5-of-7 from the field. Marion gave EIU its two biggest leads of the first half as his lay-up with 7:56 to go put EIU up 23-16. Marion would lift the Panthers to a 27-18 lead on a reverse lay-up with 5:05 to play.
Shaun Pratl's put back basket with 4:08 left kept EIU's lead at nine points before TTU ended the half on a 6-0 run with Alfred Jones leading the Golden Eagles with eight first half points to trim EIU's halftime margin to 29-26.
The Panthers extended the lead to 33-26 on back-to-back baskets to open the second half with Ousmane Cisse and Edin Suljic scoring in the first minute of action.
The Golden Eagles would tie the game at 38-38 with 14:56 remaining on a Jones basket followed by a Frank Davis 3-pointer that capped a TTU 9-0 run and put them up for the first time since the opening possession.
EIU and TTU would trade the lead with Jeremy Granger putting EIU up for the final time at 53-52 with 5:57 to play as he converted a pair of free throws. Granger finished with a team-high 16 points knocking down 6-of-6 from the free throw line.
TTU responded with an 11-0 run as Elijah Muhammad hit a 3-pointer with 2:32 to play and followed that with an old fashion three point play at 2:19 to extend the Tech lead to 63-53.
Granger cut the lead to eight points with a pair of free throws but EIU could not get any closer. Marion finished with 12 points and Tyler Laser added ten.
Muhammad led all scorers with 18 points while Jones chipped in with 14. TTU finished the game shooting 53 percent while EIU shot 48 percent.
