By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
CULLOWHEE, N.C. – The Tennessee Tech women's basketball team showed they have learned plenty of lessons during this current road trip, taking those lessons and applying them toward a thrilling victory on Sunday against Western Kentucky.
Now Tech (3-5) has a chance to finish out the non-conference portion of the slate strong as the Golden Eagles prepare for their final non-conference road trip on Thursday as they take on Western Carolina.
Tipoff from Cullowhee is scheduled for 6 p.m. Central. Dylan Vazzano will have the call on 106.1 The Eagle, while Daniel Hooker and Jeff Bryson will provide the commentary on ESPN+ (subscription required).
The series has been kind to the Golden Eagles, Tech leading 7-2 in the results, including four straight victories in the last four meetings.
Last season in Cookeville, the Golden Eagles used a 17-for-19 effort at the free-throw line with four players – Kesha Brady, Jada Guinn, Mackenzie Coleman and Anna Jones – scoring in double-digits. Coleman was 7-for-7 at the line and Brady 6-for-6.
WCU took a 10-point lead in the second quarter, but Tech went on a 12-2 run to tie the game just before the intermission.
The Catamounts started off strong, winning three of their first four games as they claimed victories over Emory & Henry (72-48), Presbyterian (52-51) and Charleston Southern (74-48) to surround an overtime loss to UNC Asheville (74-72).
Since then, WCU has lost five of the last six games. The Catamounts fell by one at Cincinnati (46-45), then dropped a 77-43 decision at Alabama. They broke the string with a 70-51 victory over Mars Hill, but then lost their last three games with a 58-51 overtime loss to USC Upstate, a 71-55 loss at Winthrop and a 53-40 loss at Campbell.
The Catamounts return home to the Ramsey Center, a venue where they have posted a 4-2 record this season, both losses in overtime.
As a team, Western Carolina is averaging 57.4 points a game, just a shade below what it is giving up on defense at 57.7 points a game. The Catamounts are shooting .405 from the floor, while have only knocked down 29 of 142 3-point attempts for a .204 completion rate. WCU is 93-for-128 at the free-throw line for a .727 percentage.
Junior guard Nadia Marshall leads WCU in scoring with a 13.0-point average. She is shooting .491 from the field and .900 from the charity stripe, while also leading the team in rebounds with a 7.4 average and steals with 14.
Vanessa Oduah is averaging 8.6 points and Zanoria Cruz is averaging 7.6.
The Golden Eagles overcame an early deficit and battled with a physical Western Kentucky squad to end its own five-game losing streak on Sunday. It was just the latest chapter of what has been one of the most challenging non-conference slates for the Golden Eagles, which included traditional basketball powers and rivals, as well as two teams ranked in the Associated Press Top 25.
Clutch performances were all over the Tech roster against the Lady Toppers. The Golden Eagles were 23-for-32 at the free-throw line, with Jones knocking down eight and Brady seven. Coleman led Tech with 21 points on 9-of-13 shooting, while Jones had 15 points and Megan Clark 14.
With Coleman's recent games, she has nearly caught up to team scoring leader Jones with just two-tenths of a point separating the two at 11.6 and 11.4 points per game. Guinn just slipped back under the double-digit mark, averaging 9.9, while Maaliya Owens (8.1) and Clark (7.5) are gaining traction.
On the glass, Jones leads the way with a 6.4-rebound average, while Coleman (5.8) and Guinn (4.8) are close behind. Guinn leads the team in assists (4.25 per game) and steals (1.75 per game). Coleman leads the team in blocks with 12 (1.5 per game).
As a team, Tech is shooting .418, .255 from 3-point range as it has knocked down 39 of 153 tries. The Golden Eagles are also shooting .702 from the free-throw line. Tech is averaging 64.9 points per game, but allowing an average of 67.4 points per game.
The Golden Eagles return home on December 16 after the conclusion of finals to take on Tennessee Wesleyan at 11 a.m. for the team's annual Education Day contest.