By Nate Perry, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Following some encouraging performances, as well as some moments of growth and maturation in its first road game of the season at Xavier, Tennessee Tech women's basketball returns to Cookeville to host arguably the program's biggest rival, Middle Tennessee, on Friday night at 6 p.m.
One of the promising showings last Sunday came from guard Kesha Brady, who will be looking to build on her team-high 14 points against Xavier. The sophomore from Smyrna looked much more confident on both ends of the court in her second regular season game since an injury-shortened freshman season. She showed a consistent ability to drive the ball and draw fouls, and then made the Musketeers pay once she got to the free throw line (9-for-10). She also led the Golden Eagles' defensive pressure with three of their 10 steals.
Lacy Cantrell put together another excellent game to begin the season, recording her first career double-double with 10 points, 10 rebounds, two steals and a blocked shot in 18 minutes of game action. Cantrell's presence was especially felt in the third quarter, when the senior ignited a 15-5 run upon entering the game that whittled Xavier's lead to one point with eight minutes remaining.
Akia Harris made a third double-digit scorer, as she poured in 12 points and racked up five assists and one steal.
Kentoria Alexander posted another impressive rebounding effort as she snagged seven in Sunday's tilt. The scrappy, 5-foot, 7-inch guard currently leads her team with 8.5 rebounds per contest.
Cantrell and Anacia Wilkinson each ripped down four of Tech's 14 offensive rebounds against the Musketeers. The Golden Eagles are averaging 16 offensive caroms per game through two contests, which is second-best in the OVC.
TTU has also done a very good job of taking care of the basketball to start the year, committing an average of 12 turnovers per game, the top mark in the league.
With a matchup against an in-state rival that has built its own successful, tradition-rich legacy in the sport, Kim Rosamond's team will need to take another step forward in its development to give itself a chance to win.
MIDDLE TENNESSEE PROFILE
Middle Tennessee is a member of Conference USA, where it has compiled a 69-17 record over five seasons. Three of those seasons featured 15 league wins, including the inaugural 2012-13 campaign that saw the Blue Raiders win both regular-season and tournament crowns.
They were also the class of the Sun Belt from 2000-01 to 2011-12, a span in which they won six conference titles, and four in a row prior to their departure.
Between the two leagues, MTSU won either a regular-season or tournament championship in 10 of 11 seasons from 2003-04 to 2013-14. All but two of them belong to current head coach Rick Insell.
Insell has won 23 or more games in 10 of his 13 seasons in Murfreesboro, but finished 2017-18 with his lowest seasonal win total – 18. They were 10-6 in C-USA, which was enough for a three-way tie for third place, and concluded the year with a 69-60 loss to Ball State in the Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT).
The Lady Raiders return their leading scorer from a year ago, forward Alex Johnson (13.5 ppg), who has seen no letdown through two games this year (15.5 ppg). The 2017-18 Second Team All C-USA selection netted a team-high 19 points in MT's season-opening 65-58 win over Vanderbilt.
Jess Louro, a 5-10 senior guard, was the only Raider to start all 31 games last season and brings back a team-leading 6.2 rebounds per game. She pulled down seven rebounds against Vandy, and went for 10 points in a 78-71 win at Furman.
Guard A'Queen Hayes makes a return to Cookeville wearing a different uniform.
Hayes was a First Team All-OVC selection last season for Eastern Kentucky, where she led the Colonels with 14.9 points per game, the eighth-highest average in the conference.
Hayes played a notable role in one of Tech's heartbreaking losses last year, as she scored 19 points, and buried a jump shot at the buzzer to squeak by the Golden Eagles, 55-53, in Richmond.
SERIES NOTES
This is the 99th meeting between Tennessee Tech and Middle Tennessee, which gives the series more chapters than any other in Tech's all-time opponent history. The mark will stand alone until late January, when TTU will see Austin Peay for the 99th time.
The Golden Eagles hold the lead in the series, 54-44, having used a stretch of dominance in the 1970s as a jumpstart. Tech went 27-4 over the series' first 31 games from 1970-71 to 1979-80, with 16 of those victories coming by 13 points or more.
The two clubs stalemated the next 54 matchups at 27 wins apiece, but Middle Tennessee has turned the tide since then with an active 13-game winning streak that dates back to 2005-06.
The last Tech victory in the series came in Cookeville on Dec. 9, 2004, when the Golden Eagles scrapped to a 52-50 victory. TTU nearly ended the run on Nov. 20, 2012, but came up six points short in overtime, 65-59.
Perhaps the fiercest portion of the TTU-MTSU rivalry came when both institutions were members of the OVC from 1978-79 to 1999-2000. Tech bested Middle in 54 dates as league mates, 29-25. The era featured three overtime games, and 30 decisions by eight points or less.
Together, the two programs own 29 regular season OVC titles and 15 conference tournament titles.
Live Stats/Broadcast Information
TTU vs. Middle Tennessee Live Stats
ESPN+ Stream
Photo by Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
