COOKEVILLE, TN- Western Illinois Men's Basketball closed out the regular season in style, riding a dominant performance from Trey Deveaux to an 82-69 road win over Tennessee Tech on Thursday night. Deveaux was unstoppable, torching the Golden Eagles for a game-high 29 points on near-flawless shooting.
The Senior forward was in complete control from start to finish, hitting 9-of-12 shots from the field, including three of his four attempts from beyond the arc. He was automatic at the free-throw line, sinking all eight of his attempts, and added six rebounds and two assists to his stat line in 36 minutes of action.
The Leathernecks (12-19, 6-14 OVC) wasted no time setting the tone, using hot shooting and strong rebounding to build an early lead. Deveaux got going early, knocking down a smooth jumper to push WIU ahead 11-8 at the 16:20 mark of the first half. Moments later, Ryan Myers hit his second three of the first half and WIU quickly went up 14-8 within the first four minutes of the game.
Tennessee Tech (15-15, 10-9 OVC) tried to keep pace behind a strong first half from Jaylon Johnson, but the Leathernecks continued to attack inside and control the boards. Deveaux's first three-pointer of the night came with 14:11 remaining in the second half, stretching WIU's lead to 57-39 and effectively putting the game out of reach.
Leading 38-30 at halftime, the Leathernecks turned it up another notch in the second half, outscoring Tennessee Tech 44-39. Deveaux continued to lead the charge, drilling all of his three pointers in the second half and converting a tough jumper in the lane to push WIU's advantage to double digits.
Julius Rollins (17 points) and Ryan Myers (16 points) chipped in with big buckets throughout the night, while the Leathernecks' defense held Tennessee Tech to just 35.8% shooting from the field. WIU also dominated the rebounding battle, outworking the Golden Eagles 42-32 on the glass.
Deveaux's 29-point explosion was his best scoring performance of the season and a much-needed spark for Western Illinois to finish their season out strong. His efficiency was off the charts, finishing with a 75% field goal percentage and perfect free-throw shooting, proving to be the difference in the game.
The Leathernecks end their season winners of four of their last six games and will look to build for next season.
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