By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – There'll be tricks and treats and a little basketball too on Thursday night as fans will get a sneak preview of the 2023-24 Tennessee Tech women's basketball team with the Golden Eagles taking on Christian Brothers in their Purple Palooza exhibition contest.
Tipoff for the game is slated for 5:30 p.m. at the Hooper Eblen Center. Admission is free.
Roger Ealey will have the call on 106.1 The Eagle, while Dylan Vazzano and Frank Harrell will narrate the action on ESPN+ (subscription required).
Christian Brothers went 12-16 last season, including a 9-15 mark in the Gulf South Conference. The Lady Bucs averaged 69.6 points a game, while allowing an average of 68.6. From the floor, CBU shot .414 with a .288 clip from beyond the arc and a .724 mark at the free-throw line.
The Lady Bucs return just one of their double-digit scorers from a year ago, but the one returning – junior Jeremia Montgomery – led the squad in scoring with a 14.0-point average, paced the team in rebounding with 6.5 boards per game and also had a team-best 55 steals and 30 blocks.
CBU's roster also features eight transfers, including senior Ever Walker (Tennessee State), junior Tieriney Echols (Arkansas State), senior Kallie Searcy (Chattanooga).
Head coach Addie Lees is in her second year with the Lady Bucs after tenures at Arkansas State University Mid-South and Kilgore College in Texas.
Tennessee Tech, meanwhile, is returning a deep squad coming off of its first Ohio Valley Conference tournament championship and NCAA appearance since 2000 and its first NCAA tournament victory since 1990. The Golden Eagles return nine players from that team, including leading-scorer and single-season 3-point record holder Maaliya Owens, who was named the Ohio Valley Conference's Preseason Player of the Year last week at the league's media day.
The Golden Eagles finished 23-10 – its second-consecutive 20-win season – with a 13-5 record in the OVC. As a team, Tech averaged 68.7 points and allowed 63.1, while shooting .427 from the floor, .337 from 3-point range and .760 at the charity stripe.
Purple Palooza begins with a trick-or-treating session at the Eblen Center starting at 4:30 p.m. The women's contest will be the first game of the exhibition doubleheader with the Golden Eagle men taking on UT Southern at approximately 7:30 p.m.
Season tickets for Tennessee Tech basketball are on sale now – call (931) 372-3940, visit the Eblen Center ticket office or order online at TTUsports.com.
Photo | Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
