CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – Defensive effort and great ball movement were the keys to the Tennessee Tech women's basketball team's success Sunday afternoon, as the Golden Eagles topped Morgan State, 62-56, in the final game of the Chattanooga Christmas Classic on the campus of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
Heading into the intermission, Tech was tied with the MSU Bears at 28-28 on a last second layup by MSU's Braennan Farrer, who converted off a steal on a Tech turnover.
The Bears came out of the intermission with high pressure, and started the second half with a 9-0 run to pull away from the Golden Eagles.
Tech slowly whittled the score down, and tied the game up on a fast break layup from Yaktavia "Shug" Hickson, who received the ball off a Samaria Howard steal. Three straight defensive possessions resulted in fast break layups for the Golden Eagles.
Morgan State kept themselves in the game as they hit their shots from the charity stripe, and took a one-point advantage with 5:53 left to play on a Farrer layup.
A jumper by Samaria Howard, and a clutch three from Hannah Goolsby brought the Tech lead back to four and sealed the game. The Bears continued to pressure the Golden Eagles, running a zone press, but Tech handled the ball with care and was able to close out the game.
Tech finished the game with a season-high 15 assists, and saw eight different players score. The Golden Eagles also outrebounded the Bears, 40-29, including 13 offensive boards, which Tech converted into 13 second-chance points.
Three different Golden Eagles scored 12 points. Senior Candace Parson stuffed the stat sheet, adding six rebounds, a career-high four assists, a career-high three blocks, and career-high three steals to her 12 points. Hickson, a freshman from Stone Mountain, Ga., grabbed a career-high six rebounds and added three assists, along with 12 points. Sophomore Cat Taylor added three rebounds and an assist to her 12 points. Taylor has now scored in double-figures each of the last three games.
Junior Mariah Dean provided a spark in the first half, coming off the bench to grab seven points and six boards before the break. She finished with a team-high seven boards and eight points.
The Bears were led by Farrer who scored a game-high 20 points, adding five assists and four steals. Dinah Jones added 10 points, four boards, and four assists, while Zuri White matched with 10 points, adding seven rebounds. Danielle Robinson rounded out the double-digit scored for MSU, adding 11 points, two blocks, and two rebounds.
Tech in now 2-2 in its last four games after opening the season 1-7.
The Golden Eagles will return home following the Christmas break on Sunday, Dec. 28, to take on the Blue Raiders from Middle Tennessee State at 2 p.m. CT.
