By Holly Weber, TTU Sports Information
at Southeast Missouri Game Notes
COOKEVILLE, Tenn.—After a nice break for the holidays, the Tennessee Tech women's basketball team (3-10) is ready to open Ohio Valley Conference play on Thursday with a 7:15 p.m. contest at Southeast Missouri (6-7). The Golden Eagles currently lead the series over the Redhawks 31-20, however, SEMO has won the last two matchups over Tech. Also, in games taking place in Cape Girardeau, Mo., the Golden Eagles and Redhawks are tied up at 11-11.
Yaktavia "Shug" Hickson leads the Golden Eagles averaging16.3 points per game on the season, which ranks her second amongst OVC players. Hickson shoots 41 percent from the field, 30.4 percent from downtown, and 87.3 percent from the free throw line (third best in the OVC). She also averages 3.1 boards per game, while tallying 20 assists and nine steals on the year.
Also making waves on the Tech squad this year is freshman Akia Harris. Harris leads the Golden Eagles in assists with 44 on the year, while standing as Tech's fourth leading scorer averaging 6.8 points per game. Harris shoots 25.6 percent from the field, 26.5 percent from beyond the arc, and 60.6 percent from the free throw line. Her 1.1 assist/turnover ratio ranks her seventh in the OVC, while her 3.4 assists per game rank her ninth.
Olivia Hackmann leads Southeast Missouri averaging 14.2 points per game. She shoots 42.9 percent from the field, 42.6 percent from downtown, and 75 percent from the charity stripe. Hackmann averages 6.5 boards per game, which is tied with Deja Jones for the team-high on the season. She is also the second leader in steals with 16 thus far this year.
Bri Mitchell is another key player to look out for. Mitchell averages 12.9 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. She shoots 39.2 percent from the floor, 33.3 percent from the three-point range, and 67.4 percent from the free throw line.
DeJa Jones is another player to watch on the Redhawk lineup. Jones averages 7.9 points and 6.5 caroms per game. She shoots 56.2 percent from the field and 67.7 percent from the charity stripe.
As a team, Tech is shooting 36.7 percent from the field, 27.7 percent from the three-point range, and 69.9 percent from the free throw line, while Southeast Missouri is shooting 42.9 percent from the floor, 39.5 percent from downtown, and 68.4 percent from the charity stripe. The Golden Eagles average 37.2 boards and 17.8 turnovers per game to the Redhawks 41.5 rebounds and 16.2 turnovers per contest.
You can follow the Golden Eagles online on the TTU Sports and Tennessee Tech Women's Basketball Facebook pages or on Twitter at @TTUGoldenEagles and @TTUWBB.
Photo by Thomas Corhern
