By Holly Weber, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn.—The Tennessee Tech women's basketball team (7-12, 4-2 OVC) will look to silence Belmont's (15-5, 7-0 OVC) perfect OVC campaign on Saturday when the Golden Eagles travel down I-40 to compete against the Bruins in a 1 p.m. contest at the Curb Event Center in Nashville, Tenn.
This meeting will be the 42nd in school history, with Tech owning the 25-16 advantage. However, Belmont is currently on a six-game winning streak in the series with the last meeting occurring in the 2015-16 season when the Bruins defeated the Golden Eagles 70-49 on their home court.
Yaktavia "Shug" Hickson leads the Golden Eagles averaging 16 points per game, which ranks her fourth in the OVC. She shoots 42.6 percent from the field, 29.2 percent from the three-point range, and 85.2 percent from the free throw line (fourth best mark in the OVC). Hickson averages 3.9 rebounds per game, while totaling 27 assists and 20 steals on the season.
Treyvonna "Trey" Brooks is another key player on the Golden Eagle lineup. Brooks is Tech's leader off the glass averaging 6.9 boards per game. She is also the Purple and Gold's second leading scorer averaging 10.6 points per contest. Brooks' 6.9 rpg ranks her 10th in the OVC, while her 3.2 offensive boards per game ranks her third. Brooks shoots 49.2 percent from the floor (seventh best in OVC), 33.3 percent from downtown, and 63 percent from the charity stripe. She is also second on the team in blocks (25) and steals (23) this season.
Freshman Akia Harris is making a name for herself on the Tech squad this season. The 5-7, Chattanooga, Tenn., native leads the Golden Eagles in assists with 85 on the year, while standing as the third leading scorer averaging 8.4 points per game. Harris also leads Tech in steals with 27 on the year, while averaging 3.5 rebounds per game. Harris' 4.5 assists per contest marks her fourth in the OVC, while her 1.5 assist/turnover ratio ranks her sixth.
Kylee Smith leads Belmont averaging 14.0 points per game. Smith shoots 38.9 percent from the field, 31.6 percent from the three-point range , and 74.6 percent from the charity stripe. She averages 4.7 rebounds per game while tallying 62 assists and 12 steals on the season.
Darby Maggard is a player to watch on the Bruins lineup. Maggard is an ace behind the arc, currently shooting 46.3 percent from downtown to lead the OVC. She averages 13.7 points and 2.3 rebounds per game and shoots 48.4 percent from the floor and 82.4 percent from the free throw line. Maggard also leads Belmont in assists (102) and steals (13) on the season.
Sally McCabe is also averaging double-figures for the Bruins, tallying 11.7 points per contest. McCabe leads Belmont in blocks with 61 on the year and is also the leader off the glass averaging 7.8 boards per game. McCabe shoots 46.7 percent from the field, 24.2 percent from downtown, and 78.1 percent from the charity stripe. Her 3.1 blocked shots per game is the best in the OVC, while her 5.4 defensive boards per contest ranks her third.
As a team, The Golden Eagles shoot 38.9 percent from the field, 28.3 percent from the three-point range, and 69.4 percent from the charity stripe while the Bruins shoot 43.5 percent from the floor, 35.1 percent from beyond the arc, and 71.2 percent from the free throw line. Tech averages 37.7 boards and 17.4 turnovers per contest to Belmont's 42.7 rebounds and 13.5 turnovers.
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 @TTUWBBB.
Photo by Jim Dillon
