COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Everybody in uniform saw playing time Saturday night as the Tennessee Tech women's basketball team got its first taste of action with a 71-52 exhibition victory over a tough Tennessee Wesleyan team in Eblen Center.
Coach Jim Davis' squad, featuring seven newcomers who donned a Tech uniform for the first time in their careers, had plenty to cheer about in the 19-point win. It was a night that was need for his team, according to the fourth-year Golden Eagle coach.
"We need exhibition matches for our new faces. They get to know each other in practice, but they get tired of beating up on each other, so it's good to have these early games," Davis said.
Veterans Samaria Howard and Hannah Goolsby led the scoring, along with freshman Treyvonna Brooks, as 10 different players made marks in the scorebook. Howard had 16 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals, while Goolsby finished with 12 points and three assists, hitting 3-of-4 from long range.
Brooks netted 14 and added five rebounds, three assists and two steals. Alliyah Smith also had an impressive debut with six points and a game-best nine rebounds to help Tech take a 49-43 edge in rebounds.
"Our newcomers did well, Trey especially," Davis said. "She put up 14 points tonight. Alliyah missed some shots, but she'll be a force to be reckoned with."
Howard, who led the team last year in scoring on her way to all-OVC honors, was happy by the performance of the newcomers.
"We have a lot of new players this year, so it was good to get their feet wet and learn how to play together," Howard said. "Overall, I think it was a good first game."
Almost as impressive as the balanced scoring was the defensive effort for Tech, which had 15 steals and forced 23 turnovers from a Bulldog team that went 27-4 a year ago. After Tennessee Wesleyan shot 46 percent in the first half, the Tech defense allowed just 27 percent shooting in the second half.
Jara Gaspar led TWU with 12 points while Melanie Baker added 11 points and six rebounds.
The Bulldogs fell behind 14-2 in the first five minutes as a tenacious Golden Eagle defense made turned numerous steals into baskets. But Tennessee Wesleyan closed the opening quarter with a 10-0 run to cut Tech's lead down to 14-12, with Gaspar and Baker netting five apiece.
A layup by Kelsey Young to open the second quarter knotted the game at 14-14, before the Golden Eagles took control. A 12-2 Tech run was started by back-to-back 3-pointers from Goolsby to open a 10-point lead, and the Golden Eagles took an 11-point edge into halftime, 38-27.
Improved shooting by the Golden Eagles in the third quarter allowed Tech to open its lead to 23 points, outscoring the Bulldogs 20-8 in the session for a 58-35 lead. Tech shot 45 percent in the third period and held Tennessee Wesleyan to 18 percent accuracy.
The largest lead of the night was a 26-point bulge, coming late in the third quarter as Tech went on top, 58-32, on a layup by Brooks with 46 seconds left.
The Golden Eagle lead hovered around the 20-point mark throughout the final quarter before finishing at 19.
The Golden Eagles play a second exhibition on Tuesday, hosting Martin Methodist in Eblen Center at 6 p.m. The regular season gets underway on Saturday, Nov. 14 with a doubleheader following the Golden Eagle football Homecoming game in the afternoon. The Tech women host Arkansas State at 5:30 p.m. to start the night's hoops action.
Season tickets can be purchased by visiting the Athletic Ticket Office in Eblen Center or by calling (931) 372-3940. Tickets may also be purchased online at TTUsports.com.
