LAS VEGAS, Nev. –Three Golden Eagles tallied double-digit scoring performances to help lead the Tech to an impressive 22-point victory over the Detroit Mercy Titans to close out the South Point Thanksgiving Shootout on Saturday at South Point Arena.
"I really liked our response in the first and second quarters. think we came out really strong, outscoring Detroit Mercy 24-11 in the first and 21-8 in the second," expressed head coach Kim Rosamond. "We could have finished a little stronger, but I loved how we started, especially coming off a tough loss yesterday."
Tennessee Tech junior Mackenzie Coleman led the way for Tech with a game-high 18 points, shooting 70 percent from the field and 80 percent from the free throw line, and tying for a team-high eight rebounds, while senior Anacia Wilkinson added 14 points and grabbed eight boards. Tech's final double-digit scorer was junior Jordan Brock with 11 points on three 3-pointers and a pair of free throws in the contest.
"I liked a lot of things that Kenzie did today, both her and Anacia," said coach Rosamond. "We felt like we would find success in the paint with our bigs against Detroit Mercy. They definitely stepped up for us and really played well today."
Following a 9-7 Tech lead at the 7:33-minute mark of the opening period, the Golden Eagles outscored the Titans 13-4 through the end of the first quarter to take a 13-point lead after the first quarter. The Golden Eagles were on fire to open the contest, shooting 61.5 percent from the field and 60 percent from 3-point range.
Tech tacked on two more to hold a 30-15 lead at the halfway through the second quarter, but broke away through the end of the half as the Golden Eagles produced a 15-4 run over the final five minutes of play to take a comfortable 26-point lead into the locker room, 45-19.
Detroit Mercy came out gunning to open the second half as they worked their way to a 13-6 rally to bring the deficit back under 20, 51-32, at the first media timeout of the second half. With four minutes to play in the period, Tech locked in defensively as they held the Titans to only two more points in en route to a 10-2 rally to kick the lead back out to 27 heading into the final 10 minutes, 61-34.
The Golden Eagles rode their large lead through the remaining 10 minutes of the contest as they eventually claimed the 69-47 victory.
Up Next
The Golden Eagles will return to the Tri-Star State as they travel to Nashville to take on the Vanderbilt Commodores on Thursday, December 5 at Memorial Gymnasium. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m.