COOKEVILLE, Tn. -- Tennessee Tech used an 11-0 run midway through the second half to build a 24-point lead en route to a 78-64 win over coach Travis Ford's Eastern Kentucky Colonels in TTU's Eblen Center Saturday night.

Tech built a 33-22 lead at halftime and upped that margin to 61-37 with 7:26 left before the cold-shooting Colonels began finding the range.

Paced by junior guard Zach Ingles and junior center Alonzo Hird, Eastern cut that margin to 11 twice (63-52 and 69-58) but could get no closer.

"We didn't play much defense, but give Tech credit," said Ford. "They were on and we weren't. I thought we were living on borrowed time because we had been winning, but not shooting the ball that well, especially from the perimeter.

"We didn't execute much of our scouting report tonight which is disapppointing to us. Our only cconsistent player right now is (Michael) Haney.

"We never quit, never gave up, but we've got some things to correct and we'll begin doing that Monday. We've got a lot to learn from this game."

Ingles paced Eastern with 18 points, followed by Hird with 13 and Haney with 10. EKU won the rebounding battle, 38-36, as as junior swingman Jason McLeish led the Colonels with seven boards.

EKU hit but 39.4 percent from the field, including just 34.5 percent in the first half, while Tech made 52.1 percent of its field goal attempts.

Tech, now 9-6 overall and in a first-place tie with Samford for the Ohio Valley Conference lead at 4-0 and who upped its home record this season to 8-0, was paced by senior forward Willie Jenkins with 22 points to go along with his eight rebounds.

Junior forward Derek Stribling added 17 points for TTU, while freshman guard Anthony Fisher had 15 and junior wing Milone Clark scored 10 points and had a game-high nine rebounds.

EKU, 10-5 overall and 2-2 in the OVC, will play its next five games in McBrayer Arena, beginning Thursday (Jan. 20) with a 7:30 p.m. EST game with OVC foe Jacksonville State.