By Jocelyn VerVelde, TTU Sports Information Coordinator
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech women's basketball team officially opens the 2014-15 season with a road trip to South Beach, as the Golden Eagles will face Florida International in Miami, Fla. on Friday at 4:30 p.m. CT.
FIU and Tennessee Tech have matched up two times before, with the Panthers winning both. The most recent match up happened last season when FIU came to Cookeville, and got the upper hand, winning 70-65.
The Golden Eagles got 13 points each from Candace Parson, Diamond Henderson and Hannah Goolsby, and 12 more from T'Keyah Williams. Kayla Brewer added nine.
Florida International, who was led by Jerica Coley's 25 points, had a 41-26 advantage on the glass, including 17 offensive rebounds. That led to an 18-9 difference in second-chance points, enough to account for the win. Coley, who ranked fifth in the nation with 25.9 points per game at the time, was 8-for-17 from the field and 8-for-9 at the line. She also had seven rebounds; four assists, two blocked shots and one steal in a complete, 40-minute performance.
Also scoring in double figures for FIU, Taylor Shade had 12 while Arielle Durant added 11. Tynia McKinzie had nine points and 10 rebounds for the Panthers.
The first time these two squads faced off was in the 1991-92 season at the Pepsi-Church's Holiday Classic in Miami, Fla. The game went in favor of the Panthers, 90-88 in overtime.
THINGS TO KNOW
Radio: 106.1 FM - The Eagle - Rob Schabert
Webcast: FIU Watch
Livestats: FIUSports.com
HEAD COACH HISTORY
Head coach Jim Davis and FIU's Cindy Russo have only faced each other twice throughout their coaching careers. When Davis was at Clemson, he took down Russo's 19th-ranked Florida International in the first round of the NCAA tournament, 65-64. Clemson then lost to No.1-ranked Tennessee.
FASTBREAK POINTS
• Tech is 28-18 all-time against division one opponents with a panther as its mascot
• Jim Davis has a career win-record of 532 victories in 27 years of coaching.
• The Golden Eagles went 4-11 on the road last season, and 0-3 in neutral site games.
• Both T'Keyah Williams and Tionne Herron suffered ACL injuries last season and are suiting up tonight.
FLORIDA FRIENDLY
Tech's roster lists four different players from the state of Florida, including seniors Candace Parson and T'Keyah Williams. Both seniors hail for Ft. Lauderdale, which is just a 45 minute drive from the FIU campus. JUCO transfer Samaria Howard is a Jacksonville, Fla. native, while transfer Kandace Newry, who will not play this season due to NCAA transfer rules, calls Miami home.
FRESH FACES
Despite returning 52% of its scoring from last season, look for Tech's four newcomers to add points and rebounds this season. Three freshmen and a JUCO transfer should see a lot of court time this season with a fairly shallow bench.
WHERE WE RANK
Tennessee Tech was selected to finish fourth in the Ohio Valley Conference with 169 points. The Golden Eagles are in their third season under veteran head coach Jim Davis. Tech features seven returnees and will be bolstered by five talented newcomers who could have an immediate impact on the lineup. Among the returnees are Williams (9.2 ppg/5.9 rpg) and center Candace Parson (10.4 ppg/6.4 rpg) in the frontcourt. The backcourt returns Goolsby (9.0 ppg) and Catherine Taylor (4.6 ppg).
ROAD WARRIORS
The Golden Eagles open the season with 10 games on the road compared to four games in Cookeville. Tech will also host Georgia (11/29), South Alabama (12/16), and MTSU (12/28).
DOUBLE TROUBLE
Last season, the Golden Eagles had eight double-doubles, five of which came from senior Candace Parson. Returners senior T'Keyah Williams and junior Mariah Dean each tallied one, while Kayla Brewer recorded the other.
EXHIBITION EXCURSION
Tech had one exhibition game this preseason as they took on Tennessee Wesleyan, head coach Jim Davis's alma mater. Tech won 82-46.
Tech's posts proved to be the dominant force, especially senior Candace Parson who finished with 17 points and six rebounds, hitting 6-of-7 from the field. Guards Catherine Taylor and Hannah Goolsby also reached double digits. Taylor had 12 points and five boards while Goolsby added 11 points.
Junior point guard Samaria Howard had eight points, five rebounds and four assists, while freshman Yaktavia 'Shug' Hickson finished with six points. Eleven different players saw action, and every player had at least 11 minutes of play.
SLOW COOKIN'
Over the past 11 years, the month of November has been a slow one. The Golden Eagles are 24-34 in the month of November:
2014.................................................... 0-0
2013.................................................... 3-4
2012.................................................... 3-3
2011.................................................... 3-5
2010.................................................... 4-0
2009.................................................... 3-4
2008.................................................... 0-5
2007.................................................... 1-4
2006.................................................... 1-4
2005.................................................... 3-1
2004.................................................... 3-1
2003.................................................... 0-3
Total .................................................. 24-34
