By Rob Schabert, Assstant Athletic Director for Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – It was a roller coaster ride and Tennessee Tech fans can finally exhale.
The Golden Eagles (5-12/2-2 OVC) held on through the ups and downs and hairpin turns to escape with a 75-71 victory over rival Austin Peay (5-11/2-1 OVC) Saturday night in noisy Eblen Center.
It was a win the wasn't clinched until the final five seconds, as the Governors clawed their way back from double digit deficits to lead off-and-on throughout the final 10 minutes.
A clutch layup by Tionne Herron with 29 seconds left put Tech ahead by three, 72-69. The Govs were within two points with eight second left on a jumper by Kristen Stainback, but Hanah Goolsby calmly sank two free throws with four seconds remaining to ice the win.
Goolsby and senior Candace Parson led Tech's offense with 16 points apiece, with Parson adding nine rebounds, three assists, two steals and three blocked shots. Goolsby was 7-for-8 at the free throw line and added five rebonds and two assists. Samaria Howard added 14 points and Herron finished with a career-high 11 points. T'Keyah Willams had seven points, eight rebounds and two blocked shots in the victory.
Three Lady Govs reached double figures, topped by Tiasha Gray's 24 points. She also had seven rebounds, three assists and two steals. Jacey Scott scored 13 points and Brianne Alexander notched 11 points and added six rebounds, two assists and two steals. Beth Rates managed six points and eight rebounds.
Austin Peay came storming back in the second half after trailing by double digits at halftime. Down 41-28 early in the second, the Lady Govs used an 18-5 run to tie the score at 46-all with 12:22 to play.
From that point to the end of the ride, the largest margin was four points and the score was knotted six more times.
The Golden Eagles led the entire first 20 minutes, building a double digit lead and returning to that margin four more times throughout the half before heading to the intermission with a 37-26 edge.
A pair of Goolsby 3-pointers early on gave Tech its largest lead of the half at 12 points, when her second trey made it 18-6 with 15:31 to play. APSU used an 8-0 run to cut it to four points, and the roller coaster ride was underway.
Tech's three-game homestand will wrap up Thursday night when the Golden Eagles welcome UT Martin for another OVC doubleheader, tipping off wth the women's contest at 5:30 p.m. That game is Putnam County Night, with one dollar admission available to residents of the county.
