By: Holly Weber, TTU Sports Information Coordinator
COOKEVILLE, Tenn.—The Tennessee Tech women's basketball team (4-9, 2-0 OVC) is ringing in the New Year Saturday with a game against Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville (SIUE) (6-8, 1-0 OVC) at 5:30 p.m. in Eblen Center.
SIUE comes to Cookeville after opening with a 62-57 conference win over Jacksonville State. Tech also opened OVC play with a victory over Eastern Illinois, defeating the Panthers 81-74.
The Golden Eagles currently lead the series 4-3, however, the Cougars saw victory in their last meeting in the 2014-15 season, SIUE defeating Tech 83-69.
After sitting out wih a broken foot, senior Mariah Dean has made a strong comeback. Dean played a career-high 32 minutes in Tech's conference opener against EIU and scored a career-high 15 points. To round out her solid performance, Dean added 7 boards, 3 blocks, 2 steals, and 2 assists to the contest.
Sophomore Yaktavia Hickson is also making a name for herself on the Golden Eagle squad. Hickson scored a career-high 19 points against EIU and posted 3 rebounds and 4 assists.
As a team, Tech shoots 38 percent from the floor, 30.6 percent from the 3-point range, and 68.8 percent from the line. The Golden Eagles average 59.8 points and 35.6 boards per game, while giving up 19.9 turnovers.
SIUE shoots 39.5 percent from the field, 31 percent from beyond the arc, and 69.6 percent from the line. The Cougars average 67.4 points and 36.4 rebounds per game, while giving up 15.3 turnovers.
Shronda Butts, who was named the OVC preseason player of the year, leads SIUE averaging 19.6 points and 5.7 boards per game. Butts shoots 40.4 percent from the floor, 29.5 percent from the 3-point range, and 79.2 percent from the line. Nationally, she ranks 31st in points per game (19.6), 11th in final points (274), 7th in free throws made (80), and 40th in field goals made (88).
Season and game tickets can be purchased by visiting the Athletic Ticket Office in Eblen Center or by calling 931-372-3940. Tickets may also be purchased online at TTUsports.com.
You can follow the Golden Eagles online on Facebook and on Twitter at @TTUWBB and @TTUGoldenEagles.
