Tennessee Tech pulls away from CU in second half, 80-69
Oct. 29—COOKEVILLE — Cumberland's men led at the half by three points but Tennessee Tech posted a big second half to run away with the exhibition match 80-69 at the Eblen Center.
The loss will not count towards the Phoenix record as it was an exhibition for both teams.
Cumberland had two players post double-digit figures in Mt. Juliet's Isaac Stephens who led with 18 and Ty'Reek Johnson with 16. Stephens went 9-for-9 in field goals on the night while also leading his team with six rebounds.
The teams were closely matched in their shooting with the Phoenix going 25-57 (43%) and the Golden Eagles just topping them shooting 29-55 (52.7%). Tennessee Tech came into the second half being nearly perfect from the three-point range, totaling 13 for a 56.5% compared to only six made by Cumberland.
The Golden Eagles had three double figure scorers led by Brett Thompson with 17. They outrebounded the Phoenix with 36 total boards compared to Cumberland's 29.
Cumberland had a very solid first half and took the lead on multiple occasions, never falling behind their opponent by more than six points. Tajah Fraley came off the bench and buried two 3-pointers for the Phoenix to give them a solid seven point edge over the Golden Eagles. TJ Stargell assisted Stephens for a layup to close out the half with a Phoenix advantage of three points at 40-37.
The second half seemed to be promising for the Phoenix as they forced five Tennessee Tech turnovers in the first three minutes of play, during which Stephens put up the first two buckets of the half. After recollecting in a timeout, the Golden Eagles made up for their missed opportunities by drilling several three-pointers. They had eight total from the three-point range in the second half alone, largely adding to their success in the half and allowing them to run away with the lead. Jordan Stephens had a solid night for the Phoenix as he led all players with four steals and put up eight points. TJ Stargell, Cumberland's all-time assist leader, led all players with nine total assists on the night.
The Phoenix will have their home opener next Tuesday when they will face RV Reinhardt University at 6 p.m. in the Dallas Floyd Phoenix Arena/Cliff Ellis Court.
