By Rob Schabert, Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The sound of air whooshing across Cookeville Saturday night didn't have anything to do with the weather.
It was the collective sound of Tennessee Tech's women's basketball fans, who held their breath through two overtime sessions in Eblen Center, only to have the wind knocked out of them when Eastern Kentucky finished the marathon by grabbing a 97-93 Ohio Valley Conference victory over the Golden Eagles.
EKU (8-9/3-4 OVC) was led by sophomore Michaela Hunter's 40 points and 21 points, nine rebounds from Miranda Maples. Shameekia Murray added 16 points and seven rebounds for the Colonels who hit 12-for-21 from 3-point range.
Tech (5-16/2-6 OVC) had four players score in double figures, led by Samaria Howard with 20 points, nine rebounds, three assists, two blocks and three steals. Hannah Goolsby and Catherine Taylor each chipped in with 17 points, the mark by Taylor her career-high. Senior T'Keyah Williams finished a strong effort with 15 points and 13 rebounds, her first double-double of the year and seventh of her career.
Tech held an early 22-10 lead, but the Colonels put together a 23-4 run to move on top, featuring five 3-pointers in the stretch. Down seven, 33-26, with 3:08 left in the opening half, Tech used a three-point play by Goolsby and a 3-pointer from Taylor to claw back in, and went to halftime owning a 41-39 lead when Taylor heaved up a 3-pointer with one second remaining.
After being tied twice in the opening half, the contest was tied four more times in the second, the final knot forcing overtime at 74-all. Tech went ahead by as many as 10 points in the second session, and was on top by seven, 72-65, with 1:35 to play.
Maples and Hunter each hit two free throws, and Murray notched a clutch 3-pointer with 45 seconds left to tie things at 72-72. A missed EKU 3-pointer was grabbed by Howard, who fed a streaking Williams for a go-ahead layup with nine seconds to play.
But Hunter took the dribble the length of the floor and hit a tying basket to force overtime.
The Colonels owned an 81-78 lead after Maples made two free throws, before Taylor drained a long 3-pointer to tie it again. Taylor's two free throws with 17 seconds left knotted things again, after Hunter's basket with 50 seconds left.
The second overtime produced three more ties, the final coming at 90-90, before Murray's second free throw put EKU on top, 91-90, with 1:26 to play.
Howard's jumped lifted Tech on top, 92-91, but Maples had one more 3-pointer, that coming with 49 seconds. Stafford added to more charity tosses, and each team put one more point on the board over the final 30 seconds.
The Golden Eagles stay home over the weekend to host Morehead State Monday night in a game scheduled to tip off at 6 p.m. in Eblen Center.