Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles (12-4, 5-0 OVC) vs. Eastern Illinois (10-6, 4-1 OVC)
Game 17 • Saturday, Jan. 18, 2020 • 1 p.m. (CT)
Charleston, Ill. • Lantz Arena
Video Stream: ESPN+
Listen: 106.1 The Eagle (Dylan Vazzano)
Live Stats: Statbroadcast
Twitter Updates: @TTUWBB
Series Record: Tech leads, 28-16 (Last: Tech W 68-51, 3/2/19)
CHARLESTON, Ill. – Out to a 5-0 start in OVC play, the Golden Eagles look to wrap up their second OVC road trip of the year with its sixth-straight OVC victory as Tech heads to Charleston, Ill. to take on the Eastern Illinois Panthers on Saturday at 1 p.m. CT at Lantz Arena.
About the Golden Eagles
Tech heads into Saturday's game against EIU on an eight-game winning streak, including a 5-0 record in OVC play. The Golden Eagles opened conference play with a pair of impressive double-digit road victories over Eastern Kentucky (60-42) and Morehead State (75-55), before returning home to complete another weekend sweep over Austin Peay (58-49) and Murray State (77-72). Tech recently secured its third double-digit road victory as the Golden Eagles cruised past SIUE (65-50). Junior Kesha Brady leads the Golden Eagles averaging 15.5 points per game, followed by junior Mackenzie Coleman with 10.4 points per contest this season. Tech has produced 70.7 points per game this contest, while limiting its opponents to only 59.3 points per game.
About Eastern Illinois
The Panthers are riding a three-game winning streak heading into Saturday's contest. Eastern Illinois opened conference play against Tennessee State (73-52), before falling against Belmont (45-69). The Panthers winning streak includes victories over Eastern Kentucky (83-63), Morehead State (57-51), and Jacksonville State (55-52). Karle Pace leads the Panthers offensively, averaging 15 points per game, while teammates Abby Wahl and Taylor Steele round out Eastern Illinois double-digit scorers with 11.8 and 10.5 points per contest. As a team, the Panthers have scored 64.9 points per contest, while holding their opponents to 58.1 points per game this season.
Tech vs. EIU
Tech owns a 28-16 all-time record over the Panthers. The Golden Eagles lead 13-6 in Cookeville, 11-10 in Charleston, and 4-0 at neutral locations. Last season, the Golden Eagles closed out the regular season earning a 68-51 victory over Eastern Illinois on March 2, 2019 in Charleston.
Last Time Out
The Golden Eagles secured their fifth-straight OVC win and eighth-straight game dating back to Dec. 17, defeating SIUE 65-50.
Three Golden Eagles scored double-figures in the contest. Brady led the way, netting her 28 points on (10-of-16) from the field, 50 percent (4-of-8) from 3-point range, and 80 percent (4-of-5) from the free throw line. Brady also grabbed four boards and dished out a team-high three assists. Senior Akia Harris and junior Jordan Brock joined Brady scoring 12 and 10 points, respectively. Tech's other senior, Anacia Wilkinson, dominated the boards for the Golden Eagles, pulling down a career-high 15 rebounds in the win.
Back-to-back Freshman of the Week
Freshman guard Maaliya Owens stepped up in a big way in her first-ever weekend of OVC play, garnering the second Freshman of the Week nod of her young career. Owens scored nine points, shooting 38 percent (3-of-8) from the field and 43 percent (3-of-7) from beyond the arc, in addition to adding three rebounds against the Colonels. Owens finished the weekend with a team second-best 14 points, shooting 50 percent (5-of-10) from the field and a perfect 100 percent (4-of-4) from 3-point range, while adding two steals and a board during the Golden Eagles impressive 20-point victory over the Morehead State Eagles.
The honor marks the second of her career and the third for the Golden Eagles this season. Owens also becomes the first Golden Eagle to win multiple weekly honors during the same season since teammate Akia Harris, who was a three-time Freshman of the Week recipient during the 2016-17 season. She also becomes the first Golden Eagle to earn back-to-back OVC weekly honors since Brittany Darling received Newcomer of the Week on Feb. 7 and Feb. 14. during the 2010-11 season.
Stingy Defense
The Golden Eagles have held 13 of their 16 opponents this season below 70 points, 11 of which were held below 60 points. Through 16 games, the Golden Eagles have surrendered just 59.3 points per game.
Hot Starts
The Golden Eagles have opened the scoring in 10 of their 16 contests this season, with the only five games proving differently being against Southern Illinois, Middle Tennessee, Western Carolina, Morehead State, and Austin Peay. Tech has also outscored its opponents 288-213 in the first quarter and 555-416 over the first 20 minutes so far this season, leading to an average halftime score of 35-26.
Approaching Milestones
Anacia Wilkinson set the school record last season for blocked shots in a season with a dominant 92 blocked shots. She has collected 174 blocks throughout her career as a Golden Eagle, sitting just 21 blocks away from breaking the school record of 194 career blocks, set by Melinda Clayton during her four-year Golden Eagle career from 1986-90. On a per game basis, Wilkinson's 2.0 blocks per contest average currently leads the Tech record books.
Akia Harris has collected 869 points throughout her career at Tech and is just 131 points shy of becoming the 31st player in Tech history to surpass the 1,000-points mark during their career as a Golden Eagle.
Jordan Brock has been a dominant long-range threat for the Golden Eagles ever since arriving in Cookeville. Brock currently sits No. 2 all-time at Tech in made 3-pointers with 184 through 78 contests and 42 away from breaking the school record, held by current assistant coach Allison Clark. Brock has also netted 866 career points as a Golden Eagle, putting her 134 points away from breaking the 1,000-point mark and becoming the 31st Golden Eagle in school history to achieve the feat.
A Look Ahead
Tech returns home for a two-week homestand beginning with Morehead State and Eastern Kentucky on Thursday, Jan. 23 and Saturday, Jan. 25. Tipoff for both contests is slated for 5:30 p.m.
