GAME NOTES: Game 18 -- vs. Eastern Illinois (PDF)
By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – When Tennessee Tech took on Eastern Illinois in Charleston back in the early days of January, the Golden Eagle women got hot at just the right time. Facing a one-point deficit at the end of three quarters, Tech surged to a 72-67 victory.
Eastern Illinois led by as many as 15 points midway through the third quarter and an extraordinary effort led by Maaliya Owens with nine points in the final 10 minutes helped erase the Panthers' lead.
Following the defeat on their home floor, EIU will be looking to reciprocate on Saturday as the Panthers visit the Hooper Eblen Center.
Tipoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. Roger Ealey will have the call for 106.1 The Eagle, while Dylan Vazzano and Michael Cooper will handle the broadcast duties for ESPN+ (subscription required).
When the two teams met back on January 2, the season had barely just gotten started with Tech holding on to a 3-2 mark, 1-1 in the Ohio Valley, and EIU 3-4 overall, also 1-1 in conference play. Forty-one days later and the Golden Eagles have been able to build a slight advantage in the standings.
Tech currently stands 9-5 in the league, 11-6 overall, while the Panthers are 7-8, 9-11 overall. The Golden Eagles presently have six games remaining in the regular season, while EIU has five remaining contests. Following their visit to Cookeville, EIU will travel to Murray State and Austin Peay next week, then close out the final week of the season at home against Southeast Missouri and UT Martin. The Golden Eagles, meanwhile, travel to Tennessee State and Belmont, then close out the final week at home with visits from Belmont, Austin Peay and Murray State.
EIU has alternated wins and losses in the last eight games, but the Panthers have been right in the mix of it. EIU's last two losses – Feb. 4 vs. Belmont and Thursday at Jacksonville State – have come at a combined four points.
However, the Panthers are still putting together great numbers. Abby Wahl leads EIU in scoring and rebounds with 15.2 points and 7.4 boards a game. Lariah Washington is close behind with 14.2 points and 5.2 rebounds, while Karle Pace is averaging 13.9 points.
As a team, EIU is averaging 67.2 points a game, while allowing 67.8. From the field, the Panthers are shooting .434, .324 from 3-point ranger and .769 from the free-throw line.
In contrast, the Golden Eagles are averaging 68.8 points a game and allowing 61.8. Tech is shooting .430 from the floor, .314 from 3-point range and .748 from the stripe.
Kesha Brady leads Tech in scoring with a 12.9-point average, while Anna Jones leads the Golden Eagles in rebounding with a 6.5 average and 11.2 points a game. Mackenzie Coleman also averages double-digit scoring with 10.9 points a game.
Tech has won seven of its last 10 games and four of its last five, including a 77-73 victory last week at UT Martin.