By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee State cut the game close, all the way down to a three-point deficit late in the third quarter. Tennessee Tech, however, caught fire in the fourth quarter and that was all she wrote as the Golden Eagles surged to an 80-64 victory over the Lady Tigers on Tuesday night in the Eblen Center.
Tech (12-12, 7-6 Ohio Valley Conference) joins the seven-win club in the standings with Western Illinois, Morehead State, UT Martin and Eastern Illinois – all at 7-5 in the league. The Golden Eagles entertain league newcomer Western Illinois for the first time in program history on Thursday night.
So that fourth quarter? After Tennessee State saw 80-plus percent shooting for much of the third quarter, the Lady Tigers' shooting went ice cold as TSU saw a percentage of 12 percent late in the fourth quarter. The Golden Eagles, meanwhile, used an 11-1 run built on 7-of-8 shooting. With crisp passing and a keen eye, Tech found the right player at the right moment to outscore TSU 22-11 in the final 10 minutes.
Maaliya Owens had her best OVC performance of the season as she scored 25 points, connecting on 10-of-16 shooting with four 3-pointers. She went 3-for-4 with two big treys in the fourth quarter to pace all scorers with nine points.
She wasn't the only Golden Eagle with a big fourth quarter – Reghan Grimes also went 3-for-4 for seven points, while Reagan Hurst went 4-for-4 at the line with a field goal to her credit for six points. Tech also went 6-for-7 at the charity stripe down the stretch, finishing the night 15-for-16 at the line.
In addition to Owens' 25, Anna Walker finished the game with 17 points on 5-for-8 shooting and a 7-for-7 night at the stripe. Hurst also had 14 points.
Sanaa' St. Andre led Tennessee State (7-16, 4-9 OVC) with 22 points on 10-of-21 shooting, while Zyion Shannon had 19 points and Caitlin Anderson had 15.
The Golden Eagles ended the game with 22 assists on 29 made baskets, led by six dimes for Peyton Carter and five for Hurst.
Tech also exploited the transition game as the Golden Eagles collected 27 fast break points as Tech left TSU defenders in the dust on several possessions. A lot of those came off of turnovers as the Golden Eagles forced the Lady Tigers into 22 giveaways, turning those miscues into 29 Tech points.
Walker paced the Golden Eagles early with 10 first-quarter points with Tech hitting six of its first nine shots in the contest. Shooting 9-for-16 in the first 10 minutes, Tech was able to push ahead of TSU 25-16. Turnovers didn't help TSU early – the Lady Tigers had seven giveaways in the period.
While the Tech offense was held quiet for stretches in the second quarter, the Golden Eagles still outscored TSU 15-14 in the second 10 minutes. St. Andre tried to get the Lady Tigers going as she scored seven of TSU's 14 points on 3-for-5 shooting. Tech hit five of its nine tries and was 4-for-4 at the line for 15 points.
TSU started to make some headway in the third quarter, outscoring Tech 23-18 with a 9-0 run in the middle of the stretch. St. Andre went 4-for-6 from the field for nine points, while Shannon added eight. The Lady Tigers cut what was a 13-point deficit down to three points – 54-51 – with 1:16 left in the quarter. Tech wrapped up the quarter with a Kiera Hill mid-range jumper and an Owens fast-break layup to close the period out hitting seven of its last eight shots and getting the lead back up to seven.
Photo | Jim Dillon
