By Holly Weber, TTU Sports Information
at Eastern Kentucky Game Notes
COOKEVILLE, Tenn.—The Tennessee Tech women's basketball team (10-18, 7-8 OVC) will close out regular season contests versus league opponent Eastern Kentucky (9-19, 6-9 OVC) on Saturday in a 3:30 p.m. contest at the MacBrayer Arena in Richmond, Ky.
This will be the Golden Eagles and Colonels second meeting this season, with the first taking place in Cookeville. In the contest, Tech saw success claiming a 53-51 victory over EKU to move the series score to 66-25, still in the Purple and Gold's favor.
In the matchup, Yaktavia "Shug" Hickson recorded her second double-double of the season with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Hickson went 4-for-7 from the field, connecting on a perfect 2-of-2 from the three-point range and 4-for-4 from the charity stripe. Teammate Hannah Goolsby came up just shy of a double-double in the contest, recording 13 points and seven boards. Alexus Cooper led the Colonels with 18 points and three steals, connecting on 7-of-19 from the floor. Teammate Mariah Massengill recorded 14 points and dished out four assists in the matchup.
As a team, Tech shot 40.9 percent from the field, 60 percent from beyond the arc, and 68.8 percent from the free throw line while Eastern Kentucky shot 33.9 percent from the floor, 27.8 percent from downtown, and 44.4 percent from the charity stripe. The Golden Eagles outrebounded the Colonels by a 41-28 margin; however, EKU forced 25 Tech turnovers while allowing just 14.
Hickson leads the Golden Eagles averaging 16.5 points per game, which is the fourth best mark amongst Ohio Valley Conference players. Hickson shoots 42.6 percent from the field, 32.1 percent from the three-point range, and 84.4 percent from the free throw line. She has tallied 45 assists and 28 steals thus far this year, while averaging 4 rebounds per game.
Treyvonna "Trey" Brooks is another key player on the Golden Eagle lineup. The senior leads Tech off the glass averaging 6.4 boards per contest. She also stands as the Purple and Gold's second leading scorer averaging 11 point per game. Brooks shoots a team-best 49.4 percent from the floor, 35.3 percent from downtown, and, 64.7 percent from the charity stripe. She has also tallied 36 blocks (team-high), 48 assists, and 33 steals thus far this year. In the OVC, Brooks ranks 12th in rebounding, seventh in field goal percentage, 10th in blocked shots, and ninth in offensive boards.
Senior Goolsby is another key contributor to the Golden Eagle efforts. Goolsby averages 8.7 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. She shoots 30.5 percent from the field, 32.3 percent from beyond the arc, and 76.5 percent from the free throw line. Goolsby has tallied 55 assists and 24 steals on the season.
OVC Preseason Player of the Year, Jalen O'Bannon leads Eastern Kentucky averaging 13.6 points per contest, which ranks 10th in the league. O'Bannon also serves as the Colonels leader off the boards averaging 6.8 per game. She shoots 44.2 percent from the floor and 69.8 percent from the charity stripe. O'Bannon has collected a team-best 34 blocks on the year, while also tallying 44 assists and 32 steals.
Two other EKU players are averaging double-figures this season: Alexus Cooper (12.8 ppg) and Shavontae Naylor (12.5 ppg).
Cooper leads the Colonels in steals with 44 on the year. She shoots 36.9 percent from the field, 35.2 percent from downtown, and 62.1 percent from the line. She averages 3.3 rebounds per game and has dished out 55 assists this year.
Naylor is EKU's second leader off the glass averaging 6 rebounds per contest. She shoots 46.8 percent from the floor and 64.3 percent from the charity stripe. She has dished out 42 assists and grabbed 28 steals on the year.
Mariah Massengill leads Eastern Kentucky in assists with 96 on the year. She averages 8.5 points and 2.4 rebounds per game, while grabbing 34 steals thus far this season.
As a team, the Golden Eagles are shooting 39.4 percent from the field, 30.5 percent from the three-point range, and 71.1 percent from the free throw line this season, while the Colonels are shooting 39.2 percent from the floor, 32.9 percent from downtown, and 65.3 percent from the charity stripe. Tech averages 36.6 rebounds and 17.3 turnovers per contest to EKU's 34.9 boards and 14.7 turnovers.
You can follow the Golden Eagles online on the TTU Sports and Tennessee Tech Women's Basketball Facebook pages or on Twitter at @TTUGoldenEagles and @TTUWBB.
Photo by Jim Dillon
