By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – It's amazing how much difference 48 hours can make. After a tough outing at Chattanooga to open the 2020-21 campaign on Friday, the Tennessee Tech women overcame a late deficit in the fourth quarter to top Jacksonville State 68-66 on Sunday in the Hooper Eblen Center.
"We have the utmost respect for Jacksonville State and head coach Rick Pietri," Tech head coach Kim Rosamond said. "Year-in and year-out, they are among the top teams in the league, and we knew this was just going to be a battle. The improvements that our team made were just really incredible. I'm just really proud of them and their effort. This was just a total team win with some just unbelievable individual performances."
Senior Kesha Brady topped her total from Friday by one point as she ended Sunday's victory with 27 points and six boards over 39 of 40 minutes as she helped the Golden Eagles rally from a seven-point JSU advantage with 6:39 remaining. Brady was named the Special Olympics Player of the Game after the effort.
"I think this may very well be the best game of her career," Rosamond said. "From just a taking over, leadership standpoint, she just played so smart and under control."
Junior transfer Anna Jones also put together a strong effort with 21 points on an efficient 7-for-9 shooting from the field with four 3-pointers and 3-for-4 from the free-throw line. Tech (1-1) also got a double-digit performance from Jada Guinn with 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting and six rebounds.
"I know our fans were anxious to see her and they got a dose of her today," Rosamond said. "What a clutch performance from both (Jones and Brady). But it was a team win – I could go down the list. Megan Clark gave us some huge minutes."
Jones gave the Golden Eagles a 66-64 lead with 15 seconds remaining with a clutch 3-pointer. Yamia Johnson came down the other end and drained a game-tying jumper. After a timeout to advance the ball, Brady attempted to drive in for a shot, but drew a foul from Johnson.
It turned out to be fruitful for the Golden Eagles as Brady was already 11-for-14 from the charity stripe at that point. She knocked down the two shots and put Tech back up by two. Johnson, JSU's leading scorer, got the ball back in her hands as the final seconds ticked down, but her final shot was no good, giving Tech its first win of the young season.
Johnson ended the game with 24 points and eight rebounds, while Nekiyah Thompson added 11 points for JSU (2-2).
"This is a big win for us in a lot of ways," Rosamond said. "This is a team that doesn't complain. We don't whine. We try not to let circumstances dictate our behavior. But the reality is, in the last month, we've barely been able to practice, because we've only had six or seven players available. We really just got our team back on Thursday before we went to play Chattanooga. To see the strides that this team committed themselves to making – these are the players. This is all on the kids and the changes they made between Friday and today."
The Golden Eagles and the Gamecocks shifted back and forth on the scoreboard, swapping the lead 19 times, then seeing a knotted result at the intermission at 26. Tech was able to put together a six-point advantage in the third for its largest lead, but JSU erased the deficit for a two-point advantage at the end of three quarters.
Tech returns to action on Wednesday as it continues its five-game homestand with a visit from Western Carolina. Tipoff is slated for 6 p.m.
Season tickets for Tennessee Tech women's basketball are on sale. Visit TTUsports.com, call (931) 372-3940 or visit the Hooper Eblen Center ticket office to order.
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