By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky surged out to a big lead Sunday afternoon and made it a challenging day for the Tennessee Tech women. The Golden Eagles tried to chip away, but the host Norse held on for a 75-53 victory on Sunday.
The Golden Eagles (3-2) will now enter the Thanksgiving holiday break and return to action on December 1 for an Education Day matinee at traditional rival Middle Tennessee, an 11 a.m. contest. Tech returns home on December 10 with a visit from Alabama A&M.
Freshman Reghan Grimes led Tech in scoring as she posted 14 points in the game, while also pulling down eight rebounds, dished out two assists and blocked a shot. Grimes was 6-for-11 from the floor.
Anna Walker and Jada Guinn both narrowly missed double-doubles as well as both collected seven rebounds with Walker tabbing in with 11 points, Guinn with 10.
Ivy Turner and Lindsey Duval both scored 16 points to pace the Norse (3-1) with Turner going 8-for-8 at the line and Duvall 8-for-9. NKU was able to get 26 shots at the charity stripe, knocking down 21.
Shots struggled to fall in the opening quarter as the Golden Eagles opened the contest 0-for-11 from the field. As the drought extended, NKU scored 19 unanswered points, shooting a hot 9-for-15 from the field in the first period. Tech managed seven points before the quarter came to a close, shooting 2-for-14 from the floor, including 1-for-4 from 3-point range and 2-for-4 from the free throw line.
Tech ended the game shooting 38 percent from the field as it hit 19 of 50 shots. Long-range shots were at a premium on the day as the Golden Eagles were 1-for-9 from beyond the arc, though the Norse shot 4-for-16 from 3-point range.
The stripe was a more common sight for the hosts as Tech finished the day with six fewer shots, hitting 14 of 20.
As the Golden Eagles started to recover from their early slump, NKU cooled off from its early 60-percent clip, but the Norse extended their lead to 23 points before halftime. The closest Tech was able to chip down to was a 15-point deficit, but NKU was able to extend its advantage back up to as many as 24 points before the game ended.
Northern Kentucky finished the day shooting 45.5 percent from the floor, knocking down 25 of its 55 shots.
Photo | Jim Dillon, file