By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – With the roar of over four thousand Upper Cumberland students accenting the scene at the Hooper Eblen Center, the Tennessee Tech women cruised to a 85-52 victory over Tennessee Wesleyan to wrap up the home portion of the non-conference schedule.
The Golden Eagles (5-3) finish that section 4-0 in the Eblen Center before league play begins at the end of the month. Tech still has some road action left before the Christmas holiday as the Golden Eagles begin their Louisiana swing on Saturday with a visit to ULM before heading into New Orleans on Tuesday and Wednesday for the Tulane Holiday Tournament against VCU and an opponent to be determined later between host Tulane and its opponent, Saint Francis.
Every member of the Tennessee Tech lineup scored against the visiting Lady Bulldogs and saw 12-plus minutes of time on the floor, allowing the Golden Eagles the opportunity to test things against the NAIA opponent.
Tech came out firing as it scored the first bucket of the game on a 3-pointer from Maaliya Owens off a Reghan Grimes dish with just eight seconds off the clock. The Golden Eagles never looked back, outscoring the visitors 26-9 in the first quarter, then extending the lead to 51-21 at the intermission.
With the lineup skewing more towards the youth of the Tech roster, Tennessee Wesleyan (7-4) was able to hang in the third and fourth quarters, even outscoring the Golden Eagles 14-12 in the final period, but Tech had a comfortable cushion to work with to build a rapport with the younger players.
Reagan Hurst led the Golden Eagles with 14 points, while Peyton Carter almost had a perfect day shooting as she went 3-for-4 with a 3-for-3 effort from long-range and 4-for-4 from the free-throw line. Owens also added 11 points and Anna Walker chipped in with 10.
Of Tech's 29 made shots, the Golden Eagles had 25 assists as the team was able to make plays leading to scores. Hurst, Owens, Grimes, Ansley Hall and Cayla Cowart each had four assists in the contest.
The Golden Eagles also controlled the glass, outrebounding TWU 40-30 with a 13-10 lead on offensive boards.
Tech ended the day shooting 48.3 from the floor, 40.7 percent from beyond the arc and 76.2 from the charity stripe.
Yeika Jimenez Diaz led TWU in scoring with 14 points, while Cambree Mayo and Sierra Bates each picked up seven points to pace the Lady Bulldogs.
With the non-conference home slate complete, the Golden Eagles will take on their first OVC opponents on Dec. 29 and 31 on the road at SIUE and Lindenwood before opening the home portion of the slate on Jan. 5 against Eastern Illinois.
Tickets for Tennessee Tech basketball are on sale. Call (931) 372-3940, visit the Hooper Eblen Center ticket office or order at TTUsports.com.
Photo | Jim Dillon