COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - Following an 0-2 road trip at OVC opponents Southeast Missouri and Eastern Illinois last Saturday and Monday, the Tennessee Tech women's basketball team will return to the familiar surroundings of the Eblen Center where the Golden Eagles will take on Morehead State on Thursday.
Tech has played nine of its first 13 games this season away from the Eblen Center, and the Golden Eagles are the only OVC team to play its first three conference games on the road. Life on the road has been tough going for the youthful TTU squad, posting a 2-7 mark away from home, but playing in front of the home fans has given Tech a boost in the early stages of this season, as the Golden Eagles are a perfect 4-0 in Cookeville.
TTU will need every bit of its home court advantage on Thursday when the Eagles of Morehead State come to Eblen for the first of two meetings this year. Morehead State, picked to finish first in the OVC according to the OVC preseason poll, has been the class of the conference to start the season with a 4-0 record in OVC action and an 11-5 mark overall.
Thursday's game will feature a pair of explosive scorers in Morehead State's Chynna Bozeman and Tech's Tacarra Hayes.
Bozeman leads the conference in points per game (18.8) and 3-pointers made per game (3.4). The junior guard, who entered the season as the Preseason OVC Player of the Year, has been named OVC Player of the Week three times this season.
Hayes enters Thursday's contest as the second leading scorer in the OVC at 15.1 points per game, while also ranking among the league leaders in steals per game (2.0), free throws made (69) and assists per game (3.5). The OVC Player of the Week during the first week of the 2009-10 season, Hayes is coming off a 22-point performance against Eastern Illinois on Monday.
Historically, Tech has owned the series between the two schools, compiling a 52-16 record since the two teams' first game back in the 1977-78 season. The two teams split their match-ups last season as both teams held serve on their home courts. Tech won, 72-67, at Eblen Center in the most recent of those contests.
Game time for Thursday's showdown is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Tickets are still available and can by purchased by visiting or calling the Tennessee Tech Ticket Office at 372-3940.
Fans can hear all the action for free on Teamline either online or on the phone. The broadcast can be accessed through Tennessee Tech's athletic Web site, TTUsports.com, or fans can call 1-800-846-4700 and enter the team code 0654 to catch all the action. TTUsports.com will also have live stats for the game, while Web streaming can be accessed through ovcsports.tv.
