By Jonathan Caudle, TTU Sports Information
Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles (16-8, 9-4 OVC) vs. Tennessee State Lady Tigers (3-20, 1-12 OVC)
Game 25 • Saturday, Feb. 15, 2020 • 5:30 p.m. (CT)
Nashville, Tenn. • Gentry Center
Video Stream: ESPN+
Listen: 106.1 The Eagle (Roger Ealey)
Live Stats: Statbroadcast
Twitter Updates: @TTUWBB
Series Record: Tech leads, 59-14 (Last: Tech W 88-47, 2/1/20)
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee Tech women's basketball looks to get back on track on Saturday as the Golden Eagles head to Nashville to take on the Tennessee State Lady Tigers for their second meeting of the season.
About the Golden Eagles
The Golden Eagles are currently on a three-game skid, having recently fallen against UT Martin (71-62), Southeast Missouri (87-72), and Jacksonville State (66-50). Tech is 16-8 overall on the season and currently sits tied for fourth with Eastern Illinois at 9-4 in conference play.
Junior Kesha Brady leads the Golden Eagles, averaging 15.1 points per game. Fellow juniors Mackenzie Coleman and Jordan Brock also average double-figures for the Golden Eagles, netting 11 and 10.8 points per game this season, respectively.
Anacia Wilkinson leads Tech with 6.4 boards per game and has 49 blocks on the season, while averaging seven points per game.
The Golden Eagles rank 19th in the nation in 3-point field goals made this season with 198, while ranking 24th in the nation in 3-point field goals per game 8.3. Tech also ranks 38th for 3-point field goal percentage, averaging 35 percent of its shots from long-range.
About the Lady Tigers
Tennessee State is 3-20 on the season with a 1-12 mark in league play. The Lady Tigers rank tied for 11th with SIUE. Two games ago, the Lady Tigers earned their first conference win in a 96-81 upset over the Murray State Racers. Tennessee State most recently fell in a 70-58 battle against the Belmont Bruins.
Taylor Roberts and Jazmine Young lead the Lady Tigers offensively with 12 and 11.2 points per game, respectively. On the glass, Jaden Wrightsell leads TSU with 7.3 rebounds per game, in addition to collecting a team-leading 2.3 steals. Megan Kent leads the Lady Tigers with eight blocks.
Tech vs. Tennessee State
The Golden Eagles hold an all-time series lead over the Lady Tigers, 59-14. Tech holds the advantage in Cookeville, 28-5, in Nashville, 26-6, and at unknown locations, 2-0. The series is tied 3-3 at neutral sites. Tech is 8-1 in their last nine meetings with the Tigers, including an 88-47 victory on Feb. 1 in the last meeting between the two programs.
Last Time Out
In Tech's most recent contest, the Golden Eagles fell in a 66-50 battle against the Jacksonville State Gamecocks.
Three Golden Eagles recorded double-digit performances in the contest, with junior Jordan Brock, the Special Olympics Player of the Game, leading the way with 13 points. She shot 5-of-8 from the field, 1-of-3 from 3-point range, and 2-of-2 from the free throw line. Juniors Kesha Brady and Abby Buckner joined Brock in double-figures. Brady tallied 11 points in the contest, while Buckner added a season-high 11 points as well. Brady and Buckner grabbed a team-high six rebounds, while Buckner added a team-high three steals. Akia Harris dished out a team-high six assists in the contest.
Stingy Defense
The Golden Eagles have held 18 of their 24 opponents below 70 points this season, 13 of which were held below 60 points. Through 24 games, the Golden Eagles have surrendered just 62.4 points per game. Since the beginning of the 2018-19 season, the Golden Eagles hold a 29-6 advantage when holding opponents to 65 points or less.
Hot Starts
The Golden Eagles have opened the scoring in 14 of their 24 contests this season, with the 10 games proving differently being against Southern Illinois, Middle Tennessee, Western Carolina, Morehead State, Austin Peay, Eastern Kentucky, Tennessee State, UT Martin, Southeast Missouri, and Jacksonville State. Tech has also outscored its opponents 413-360 in the first quarter and 805-679 over the first 20 minutes so far this season, leading to an average halftime score of 34-28.
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 185 blocks throughout her career as a Golden Eagle, sitting just 10 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 942 points throughout her career at Tech and is just 58 points shy of becoming the 31st player in Tech history to surpass the 1,000-point mark during their career as a Golden Eagle. She also ranks No. 7 all-time in assists with 486 and needs just 12 to surpass No. 6 all-time.
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 206 through 86 contests and 20 away from breaking the school record, held by current assistant coach Allison Clark. Brock has also netted 967 career points as a Golden Eagle, putting her 33 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 next week for its final homestand of the regular season as the Golden Eagles host UT Martin on Feb. 20 at 5:30 p.m., before closing out their home slate against Southeast Missouri in their Play 4 Kay game on Feb. 22 for senior day. Tipoff against the Redhawks is slated for 2 p.m.
Photo by Thomas Corhern
