By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The matchup was everything it was expected to be Thursday night as the Tennessee Tech women's basketball team hosted Little Rock to open Ohio Valley Conference play.
And while the Golden Eagles had a tough beginning to the game getting shots to fall, Tech (5-7, 0-1 OVC) kept pace, even after Little Rock (2-10, 1-0 OVC) took a 13-point lead in the third quarter.
Fittingly, the game came down to the final possession. Yaubryon Chambers tied the game with 1:02 remaining on a free throw, then Tia Harvey gave the Trojans a two-point lead with 32 ticks left after Faith Lee missed a shot as Chambers deflected it. Harvey grabbed the loose ball and hit the jumper.
Tech moved into its offensive zone following a timeout, but the Golden Eagles couldn't get a shot opportunity as the ball was tied up with two seconds remaining with Tech keeping the ball, then a shot clock violation almost immediately after ended the Golden Eagles' chance with the visitors taking the 59-57 victory in the Eblen Center.
Maaliya Owens led all scorers with 20 points in the contest, shooting 5-for-13 from the field – including 4-for-8 from long-range and 6-for-6 from the line. Chambers also ended the game with 10 points.
Little Rock, who only fielded seven players in the game, got double-digit scoring from three players as Leilani Wimbish-Gay scored a team-high 17 points, Lee 16 and Jayla Brooks 10.
The Trojans' defense made things difficult for the Golden Eagles as Tech missed its first nine field goal attempts and finished the first quarter 1-for-14 from the floor as Owens knocked down a 3-pointer late in the period. The other five points came at the stripe as the Golden Eagles were 5-for-6.
Little Rock, meanwhile, went 6-for-13 from the field to outscore Tech 14-8 in the opening stanza.
The shooting percentages recovered for the Golden Eagles as they shot 44.4 percent in the second and fourth quarters and 46.7 in the third as Tech ended the game shooting 16-for-47, 34.0-percent from the field.
The Trojans built a 10-0 run from the end of the first to the beginning of the second, but the Golden Eagles chipped away to cut the game back down to 27-23 at the intermission. Midway through the third quarter, Little Rock had built a 13-point lead, but the Golden Eagles used a 12-2 run to erase that deficit and leave the third quarter with the same four-point margin.
Tech won the battle of the boards, claiming 37 to the Trojans' 27 and bringing down 10 offensive rebounds for 11 second-chance points.
Turnovers, however, proved high for the Golden Eagles as Little Rock forced 19 giveaways with nine steals. The Trojans scored 16 points off turnovers.
Tech will return to action on Saturday at 1 p.m. as it hosts UT Martin.
Tickets for Tennessee Tech basketball are on sale now – call (931) 372-3940, visit the Hooper Eblen Center ticket office or order online at TTUsports.com.
Photo | Jim Dillon
