SUNDAY'S SCORES
@Tennessee Tech 109, Oakwood 68
TENNESSEE TECH 109, OAKWOOD 68
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - It was a day of highlights for the Tennessee Tech men's basketball team, as the Golden Eagles cruised to a 109-68 victory over Oakwood University at the Hooper Eblen Center Sunday afternoon.
The purple and gold looked strong across the board while topping the century mark for the first time since a 118-60 win over Warren Wilson College in 2018-19. Tech (1-1) shot 53.7 percent from the floor and 48.4 percent from downtown on the day, turning in 29 assists, 10 steals, and a whopping 11 blocks.
The Golden Eagles kicked off the action with a 14-4 run over the first four minutes, and despite a 10-run from the Ambassadors to tie the game, never looked uncomfortable. Tech took the hit in stride and answered with an 8-0 run of its own, never allowing Oakwood within a single bucket again.
Clay had a special night running the Tech offense, producing his third career double-double with 11 points and a career-high-tying 10 assists while making zero turnovers. He also tallied four steals and even earned a standing ovation from his teammates on the bench with his first career dunk.
Fellow backcourt mate Keishawn Davidson exploded for a number of career-bests in the contest, leading all scorers with a new top mark of 28 points. Dangerously efficient, he finished 10-for-12 from the floor and any eye-popping 6-for-7 from downtown, both career-highs for makes.
Despite playing just 14-and-a-half minutes in the ball game, Cincinnati transfer Mamoudou Diarra, the team's leading scorer at Memphis, also enjoyed a breakout performance. The junior delivered a career-best 19 points on 8-for-14 shooting with a 3-for-6 clip from beyond the arc. He also tied his career-high showing of nine rebounds, with seven coming on the offensive glass.
Fellow transfer (from Xavier) Daniel Ramsey also turned in a career-high day in scoring, sinking 7-of-8 attempts from the floor on his way to 14 points in just over 12 minutes of work. Yet another Division I transfer, Caleb Christopher of Arizona State, scored a career-best seven points in just four minutes.
Cookeville native, walk-on, and former manager Bailey Gilliam made his collegiate debut late in the ball game, scoring his first career points with a fast-break layup. Big man Amadou Sylla tied his career-best mark of three rejections while leading the Tech block party. Shandon Goldman, Marcus Hopkins, and Diarra each tallied a pair of blocks as well. Hopkins set a new career standard with seven rebounds to add to the record-breaking evening.