By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – When the Tennessee Tech women are hot from 3-point range, the Golden Eagles are pretty tough to beat. For the fourth-straight game, Tech knocked down double-digit treys – 13 in Thursday's contest, one shy of the season-high of 14 – as the Golden Eagles cruised to a 68-52 victory over Tennessee State.
Jordan Brock was on fire, hitting five of her seven 3-point tries. The senior ended the night 7-of-10 from the field and 2-for-2 at the free-throw line to pace all scorers with 21 points. Megan Clark knocked down three 3-pointers out of four tries, while Maaliya Owens drained two, including one at the halftime buzzer.
Clark was Tech's other double-digit scorer in the contest, posting 12 points on the night.
With the fourth-straight victory, the Golden Eagles improved to 13-6, 11-5 in the Ohio Valley Conference. Tech extended Tennessee State's winless streak to 19 straight games, 17 in conference play.
Jaden Wrightsell and Adreana Wrister outperformed their season scoring averages as Wrightsell led the Tigers with 17 points, Wrister adding 16.
TSU was efficient in its shot attempts in the first quarter, going 5-for-8 from the field to collect a 62.5-percent clip. However, the Tigers turned the ball over six times in the opening quarter, and Tech converted those into nine of its 16 points in the opening stanza. TSU went on a brief run late in the quarter, allowing the Tigers to keep pace, trailing just 16-14 at the end of the first 10 minutes.
Tech was able to build some separation in the second quarter though, holding the Tigers to seven points before intermission. Brock was 3-for-3 from the field for seven points, while Mackenzie Coleman added five in the period as the Golden Eagles shot 8-for-14 from the field in the quarter.
The defense stepped up for the Golden Eagles, preventing TSU to get many good looks as the Tigers were 3-for-12 from the field. TSU also turned the ball over five times in the quarter, which Tech was able to convert into 13 points.
With a 36-21 lead, Tech was able to slightly extend the advantage in the third quarter, outscoring the Tigers 23-20, but TSU chipped into Tech's 21-point advantage in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Golden Eagles 11-9 in the final 10 minutes to secure the final margin of 16.
Tech returns to action as the Golden Eagles close out the road portion of the schedule with a visit to Belmont on Saturday. Tipoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
Photo | Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information, file