By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information

CHARLESTON, Ill. – After an 18-day stretch with only two games for the Tennessee Tech women's basketball team, the Golden Eagles get back into a little bit of normal routine this week as they hit the road to take on Eastern Illinois on Thursday night before heading to SIUE on Saturday.

Tipoff for Thursday's game from Groniger Arena is scheduled for 5 p.m. Roger Ealey will have the call on 106.1 The Eagle, while the game will also be streamed on ESPN+ (subscription required).

In the Ohio Valley Conference standings, the Golden Eagles (8-9, 3-3 OVC) stand in a four-way tie for fifth presently but are breathing down the necks of Morehead State, Eastern Illinois and Little Rock – who all have two league losses. Southern Indiana continues to have an unblemished 7-0 mark in league play, while Tech shares its current state with Southeast Missouri, UT Martin and league newcomer Western Illinois.

The Panthers have had a strong start to league play with a pair of road victories at SIUE and UT Martin to start the slate, then fell in a four-point defeat at Little Rock and a two-point contest against Morehead State before returning to winning ways with a nine-point win over Western Illinois and an eight-point win at Lindenwood.

EIU has a trio of scorers leading the way in double-digit averages with Macy McGlone posting a double-double on average per night with 16.9 points and 11.5 rebounds, while Miah Monahan is scoring 11.9 points and Ellie Buzzelle 11.0 points per game. McGlone also has 35 blocks on the season.

As a team, the Panthers are averaging 64.2 points and 37.7 rebounds a game, while allowing 68.4 points and 36.0 boards per night. EIU is shooting .414 from the field, .311 from 3-point range with an average of 5.7 3-pointers a game, and .728 at the line – averaging 10 free throws per game.

In the all-time series, the Golden Eagles are 35-17, winning 10 of the last 11 meetings. Eastern Illinois topped Tech 67-62 in the Eblen Center last season, then the Golden Eagles took the win in Charleston with a 66-61 victory. The two teams met again in the OVC tournament semifinals as EIU led by 10 points with just over six minutes to go in the game, but the Panthers went cold, hitting just one field goal in the final 7:09 of the contest.

Tech comes into the game winning three of its last four games with a decisive 79-56 victory over Morehead State, then a three-point loss at Southern Indiana – tied with Lindenwood for the closest margin the Screaming Eagles have encountered in conference play. The Golden Eagles rebounded with an 11-point win over Southeast Missouri and a five-point win at Tennessee State as sophomore Reghan Grimes went off for 31 points and her first career double-double.

Maaliya Owens and Grimes lead the Golden Eagles in scoring with both averaging double-digit points – Owens at 15.4 and Grimes at 10.4. Grimes also leads the team in rebounding with 5.4 points. Owens leads the team with 47 assists, while Reagan Hurst and Yaubryon Chambers each have a team-best 21 steals and Anna Walker leads the team with 22 blocks.

As a team, Tech is averaging 69.1 points and 33.6 rebounds, while allowing 65.5 points and 32.2 rebounds. The Golden Eagles are shooting .416 from the field, .338 from 3-point range with an average of 7.3 3-pointers per game and .752 from the free-throw line, knocking down an average of 13.8 free throws a game.

Photo | Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information