By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – If Thursday's Purple Palooza exhibition is any indication, the Tennessee Tech women's basketball team looks to be in great shape heading into the 2023-24 campaign.
The Golden Eagles cruised to an 89-44 victory on Thursday night against visiting Christian Brothers University.
While the statistics from the contest do not count as it was a preseason affair, Tech had some solid performances in the victory. Graduate Maaliya Owens picked up right where she left off breaking the single-season 3-pointers made mark with 92 a year ago. On Thursday, she knocked down four of her eight long-range tries and was a perfect 5-for-5 at the free-throw line.
Redshirt sophomore Reagan Hurst also had a solid outing, collecting 14 points on 4-of-6 shooting from the floor and a nearly-perfect 5-for-6 at the stripe, while also dishing out three assists and collecting three steals.
Senior Anna Walker scored in double-digits as she went 5-for-8 for 10 points. She also pulled down six boards. Fellow senior Peyton Carter led the team in rebounds with seven.
Tech dished the ball around well as the Golden Eagles collected 20 assists on 29 made baskets. Carter, Owens and Jennifer Sullivan each led the team with four assists. Defensively, seven of the 11 active Golden Eagles had a blocked shot in the game.
The Golden Eagles controlled the contest on both sides of the ball, outscoring the visiting Lady Bucs 21-9 in the first quarter, 27-11 in the second and 24-9 in the fourth. CBU kept it close in the third quarter as Tech was only able to extend its advantage by two, outscoring the visitors 17-15.
The game was put well out of reach in the fourth quarter as the Golden Eagles went on a 16-0 run late in the contest.
Tech finished the game shooting exactly 50 percent, bolstered by an 8-for-13 performance in the fourth quarter, including 8-for-8 at the free-throw line. The effort at the charity stripe was great for the Golden Eagles, knocking down 24 of 29 free tosses for an 82.8-percent clip. From the field, the shooting was consistently over 50 percent in the first, second and fourth quarters with even a 28.6-percent run in the third quarter unable to allow CBU to climb back into the contest.
The regular season begins on Monday, Nov. 6, as the Golden Eagles head to Ball State for an 11 a.m. Eastern matinee. Tech opens the home slate on Nov. 15 as it entertains Chattanooga on its Celebration of Champions Night with the unveiling of the 2022-23 Ohio Valley Conference championship banner.
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 | Jim Dillon
