By Jonathan Caudle, TTU Sports Information
Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles (9-4, 2-0 OVC) vs. Austin Peay (9-4, 0-2 OVC)
Game 14 • Thursday, Jan. 9, 2020 • 4 p.m. (CT)
Cookeville, Tenn. • Hooper Eblen Center
Video Stream: ESPNU (Tiffany Greene & Christy Thomaskutty)
Listen: 106.1 The Eagle (Roger Ealey)
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Twitter Updates: @TTUWBB
Series Record: Tech leads, 78-22 (Last: Tech W 68-57, 3/7/19)
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Golden Eagles, who are riding a five-game winning streak, return home on Thursday for a nationally televised clash against the Austin Peay Governors at 4 p.m. on ESPNU. Fans can also catch the game on 106.1 The Eagle.
About the Golden Eagles
Tech sits atop the Ohio Valley Conference standings and is riding a five-game winning streak heading into its OVC home-opener against Austin Peay. This past weekend, the Golden Eagles (9-4, 2-0 OVC) earned a weekend sweep to open OVC play as they earned a pair of double-digit victories over Eastern Kentucky (60-42) and Morehead State (75-55).
Kesha Brady and Mackenzie Coleman have led the Golden Eagles offensively this season, averaging 15.1 and 11 points per game, respectively. Akia Harris has dished out a team-leading 4.8 assists per contests, while Jada Guinn has grabbed a team-leading 1.2 steals per game. On the defensive side of the ball, Anacia Wilkinson leads Tech on the glass with seven rebounds per game, and an impressive 2.8 blocks per game.
About the Governors
Austin Peay enters Thursday's clash with an overall record of 9-4, after going 0-2 to open OVC play. The Governors received a pair of setbacks in their last two contests to open up their conference slate, falling to Southeast Missouri (79-66) and against UT Martin (69-61).
The Governors are led by Arielle Gonzalez-Varner, who is Austin Peay's sole player averaging double-digits this season with 12.5 per contest. She also leads the team on the boards, averaging 8.6 rebounds per game, blocks with eight this season, and steals collecting 1.8 per game. Ella Sawyer and Tahanee Bennell have led the Governors in assists, collecting 41 and 40, respectively.
Tech vs. Austin Peay
Tech leads the Austin Peay Governors in their all-time series, 78-22. The Golden Eagles lead 32-8 on their home court in Cookeville, 27-11 on the road in Clarksville, 4-3 at neutral sites, and 15-0 at unknown locations. The last matchup between the two programs came during the 2018-19 postseason in which the Tech earned a 68-57 victory in the OVC tournament to end the Governors 2018-19 season. The Golden Eagles are on a one-game winning streak over the Governors.
Last Time Out
The Golden Eagles earned a dominant 75-55 victory over Morehead State to close out its OVC opening weekend.
Senior Anacia Wilkinson led the Golden Eagles both offensively and defensively, netting a game-high 16 points, shooting 6-of-11 from the field and a perfect 4-of-4 from the free throw line, in addition to tying Tech's single-game blocks record with a season-high nine blocked shots against the Eagles. Wilkinson added six boards, a pair of assists, and a steal. Freshman Maaliya Owens also made a major impact scoring 14 points, while juniors Mackenzie Coleman and Jordan Brock also joined Wilkinson and Owens in double-figures with 13 points and 11 points, respectively. Fellow senior Akia Harris helped command the Golden Eagles balanced offensive attack as she recorded a team-leading six assists. Jada Guinn led Tech on the boards, pulling down seven boards, including three offensive rebounds.
Back-to-back Freshman of the Week
Freshman guard Maaliya Owens stepped up in a big way in her first-ever weekend of OVC play, garnering the second Freshman of the Week nod of her young career. Owens scored nine points, shooting 38 percent (3-of-8) from the field and 43 percent (3-of-7) from beyond the arc, in addition to adding three rebounds against the Colonels. Owens finished the weekend with a team second-best 14 points, shooting 50 percent (5-of-10) from the field and a perfect 100 percent (4-of-4) from 3-point range, while adding two steals and a board during the Golden Eagles impressive 20-point victory over the Morehead State Eagles.
The honor marks the second of her career and the third for the Golden Eagles this season. Owens also becomes the first Golden Eagle to win multiple weekly honors during the same season since teammate Akia Harris, who was a three-time Freshman of the Week recipient during the 2016-17 season. She also becomes the first Golden Eagle to earn back-to-back OVC weekly honors since Brittany Darling received Newcomer of the Week on Feb. 7 and Feb. 14. during the 2010-11 season.
Hot Starts
The Golden Eagles have opened the scoring in nine of their 13 contests this season, with the only four games proving differently being against Southern Illinois, Middle Tennessee, Western Carolina, and Morehead State. Tech has also outscored its opponents 244-164 in the first quarter and 470-336 over the first 20 minutes so far this season, leading to an average halftime score of 36-26.
Approaching Milestones
Anacia Wilkinson set the school record last season for blocked shots in a season with a dominant 92 blocked shots. She has collected 172 blocks throughout her career as a Golden Eagle, sitting just 23 blocks away from breaking the school record of 194 career blocks, set by Melinda Clayton during her four-year Golden Eagle career from 1986-90. On a per game basis, Wilkinson's 2.0 blocks per contest average currently leads the Tech record books.
Akia Harris has collected 842 points throughout her career at Tech and is just 158 points shy of becoming the 31st player in Tech history to surpass the 1,000-points mark during their career as a Golden Eagle.
Jordan Brock has been a dominant long-range threat for the Golden Eagles ever since arriving in Cookeville. Brock currently sits 5th all-time at Tech in made 3-pointers with 176 through 75 contests and 49 away from breaking the school record, held by current assistant coach Allison Clark. Brock has also netted 830 career points as a Golden Eagle, putting her 170 points away from breaking the 1,000-point mark and becoming the 31st Golden Eagle in school history to achieve the feat.
Promotions
Fans who arrive at the Hoop before 4:30 p.m. will receive free admission to both the women's and men's games. Thursday will celebrate Upper Cumberland Night, Faculty and Staff Appreciation Night, and Youth Basketball Night. Fans that live in the Upper Cumberland region will receive $3 discounted tickets after 4:30 p.m., Tennessee Tech faculty and staff will receive free admission to either game and receive $3 discounted admission for their family and spouses, and young aspiring basketball athletes can wear their jerseys to Thursday's game and receive free admission. Also, the first 500 fans to arrive at the Hoop will receive a free Pepsi and a voucher for free popcorn.
A Look Ahead
Tech continues its OVC home-opening weekend on Saturday as the Golden Eagles host the Murray State Racers. Tipoff is slated for 5:30 p.m. on ESPN+ and 106.1 The Eagle.
Photo by Thomas Corhern
