By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech women improved to 3-1 on the season on Thursday night, cruising to a 69-52 victory over in-state foe Trevecca Nazarene in the Eblen Center.
Maaliya Owens was a force for the Golden Eagles, scoring a career-high 21 points and blocking five shots. The senior came narrowly close to recording her first double-double as she pulled down seven rebounds in the contest. Owens was 8-for-15 from the field, including 5-for-7 from 3-point range.
The matchup between former prep rivals Reagan Hurst (Upperman) and Keeley Carter (Macon County) was an interesting one. Hurst added 17 points to Tech's tally as she was 5-for-8 from the field and 6-for-6 at the free-throw line to top her personal best scored in the season opener against Ball State. Hurst also dished out three assists and pulled down three boards.
Carter, on the other hand, led the Trojans (1-2) with 18 points on 8-of-16 shooting and also missed a double-double with nine caroms. She was aided by Northern Kentucky transfer Emma Palmer, who tested the Golden Eagles on the inside. Palmer ended the game with 10 points and seven rebounds to pace Trevecca in the paint with its 34 inside points.
Anna Walker ended the night with 10 points to round out the double-digit scorers in the contest.
Trevecca scored the first two points of the contest and it proved to be the only lead for the Trojans in the contest as Tech used a 9-0 run to surge ahead and never look back. The Golden Eagles ended the night, shooting 43.1 percent from the field (25-for-58), 9-for-17 from 3-point range and 10-for-14 from the charity stripe.
Tech forced the Trojans into 17 turnovers – including eight steals with three for Jada Guinn – and turned those into 23 points. The defensive effort didn't stop there as Trevecca was 2-for-15 from long-range.
The Golden Eagles return to action on Sunday as they travel to Northern Kentucky for a 1 p.m. Central contest, then will be idle through the Thanksgiving holiday before picking back up the slate with an 11 a.m. contest at Middle Tennessee on December 1.
Season tickets for Tennessee Tech basketball are on sale now. Call (931) 372-3940, visit the Hooper Eblen Center ticket office or visit TTUsports.com to order.
Photo | Jim Dillon