COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Arkansas State combined great shooting with balanced scoring to hand Tennessee Tech a 77-55 loss Saturday evening in Eblen Center in the regular season opener for both squads.
"We had a good game offensively," Golden Eagle Alliyah Smith said. "We just have to work hard on our defense and get prepared for Mercer."
Aundra Gamble topped ASU (1-0) with 18 points on 7-for-8 shooting, one of four visitors in double figures. She also had six assists. Jessica Flanery added 15 points, while Khadisha Brown-Haywood had 12 and Brittney Gill scored 11 and led her team on the glass with seven rebounds.
Tech (0-1) had three players in double figures, with both Takisha Jordan and Samaria Howard scoring 12 and Hannah Goolsby 10. Alliyah Smith scored six and had a game-high nine rebounds.
It was the first time one of Jim Davis' Golden Eagle teams has dropped the home opener, after winning three straight years under the veteran coach in their first regular season game in Eblen Center.
"We have a lot of new faces on the team this year," head coach Jim Davis said. "We still have to get a lot better and learn to play more as a team."
Tech rallied in the fourth quarter, outscoring their guests 20-7 over the final 10 minutes, but it only served to shorten the lead which had grown to as much as 70-31 in the third period.
The Red Wolves used torrid shooting and strong rebounding to race out to an early lead, and owned a 26-10 advantage after shooting 75 percent (9-for-12) in the first quarter. Tech struggled to find the range in the opening stanza, hitting just 20 percent (3-for-15).
The Red Wolves cooled off to 44 percent in the second quarter and Tech improved to 25 percent, but Arkansas State was able to add slightly to its lead and went to halftime owning a 46-26 lead.
"We have a lot of good things going for us," Davis continued. "We just have to fine tune it."
Gamble led the first half charge with 16 points on 6-for-7 shooting including 2-for-3 from long range. Tech's leading scorers in the first half both came off the bench, as Smith and Jordan netted six each.
Turnovers plagued Tech in the third quarter, not only preventing the Golden Eagles from making a dent in the ASU lead but the Red Wolves turned those miscues in points and grew the lead to 35 points, outscoring Tech 24-9 in the period.
It was the guard trio of Brown-Haywood, Gill and Flanery who did much of the damage. Brown-Haywood and Gill each scored seven in the stanza and Flanery added six.
Saturday's contest was the first game in a busy opening week for the Golden Eagles. On Monday night, Tech hosts Mercer in a 6 p.m. game, followed by a game Thursday night when Georgia State visits, also for a 6 p.m. tipoff. The week ends with a Sunday afternoon visit from Lipscomb for a 2 p.m. contest.
Tickets to all of Tech's home games are on sale, including several season ticket plans, by visiting the Athletics Ticket Office in Eblen Center or by calling (931) 372-3940. Tickets may also be purchased online at TTUsports.com.
