By Jonathan Caudle, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Juniors Jordan Brock and Kesha Brady, in addition to Maaliya Owens combined for 51 points as the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles rolled to an 85-59 victory over the University of Cumberlands (Ky.) in an exhibition contest on Tuesday evening.
"I think we did a lot of positive things in the first half, to hold the Patriots to only 16 points," expressed head coach Kim Rosamond. "I thought we played well in the first half but I did not like how we played in the third and fourth quarters. We definitely shot the three-ball well, going 47 percent from beyond the arc. We have a lot of work to do rebounding and taking care of the basketball, but it's October and we have a long way to go."
Brock led the way for Tech as she was named the Special Olympics Player of the Game, netting a game-high 23 points, going 7-of-10 from three. Owens scored 15 points, adding four rebounds and an assist. Brady was the final Golden Eagle to score double-digits with 13 points, while also adding three assists, a board, a block, and a steal. Mackenzie Coleman tallied a match-high five blocks. Jada Guinn also made a huge impact during her debut for the Golden Eagles, leading the team in rebounds with eight and assists with seven, while also adding eight points. Senior Akia Harris led the team with four steals, while six assists, and five points in the win.
The Golden Eagles opened the contest on back-to-back-to-back threes from Brock as they would take a 9-0 lead. The Patriots netted their first basket of the contest to cut Tech's lead to seven, 9-2, but that was as close as it would get in the first. The Golden Eagles went on a 15-6 run to end the first and hold a 16-point lead after the opening period, 24-8.
Akia Harris opened up the second quarter with a layup before the Patriots would knock down a pair of buckets to cut Tech's lead down to 14 through the first two minutes of the second, 26-12. Tech would then score 10 unanswered points to extend their lead to 24 halfway through the second, 36-12. Cumberlands would net another pair of layups to cut the lead down to 20, but Tech responded with a 12-0 run to close out the half and take a 32-point advantage into the break, 38-16.
Much like the opening period, Brock opened the third on fire as she recorded a jump shot and a pair of 3-pointers to score eight-straight and extend Tech's lead to 40, 58-18. The Golden Eagles would continue to pour it on as they outscored the Patriots 8-5 to grab a 43-point advantage, their largest lead of the contest, 66-23. The Patriots rallied to close out the third as they produced a 14-4 run to close out the period and cut Tech's lead by 10, 70-37.
The final period was a nearly even battle as the Patriots would outscore the Golden Eagles 22-19 over the final 10 minutes of play to seal Tech's eventual 85-59 victory.
Up Next
The Golden Eagles will open their 2019-20 campaign next Tuesday as the Golden Eagles host Cumberland (Tenn.) for their season-opener at 6 p.m. in the Hooper Eblen Center.
Photo by Thomas Corhern