GAME NOTES: Game 10 -- at Austin Peay (PDF)
By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – It's going to be a tough test for the Tennessee Tech women's basketball team on Thursday night as the Golden Eagles head to Clarksville to take on Austin Peay.
Tipoff on Thursday at the Dunn Center is slated for 4:30 p.m. Roger Ealey will provide the radio call for 106.1 The Eagle, while Ethan Schmidt and Josh Stephenson will handle broadcast duties on ESPN+ (subscription required).
Tech (5-4, 3-3 Ohio Valley Conference) kicks off a three-game road trip with the APSU jaunt, also heading to Murray State on Saturday, then heading to Jacksonville State on Monday -- a rescheduled contest after the originally scheduled December 3 date.
Austin Peay comes into the contest on Thursday with a 7-4 record, 5-2 in the league. The Governors had a quick start in the league winning its first five games in league play, knocking off Murray State, Eastern Kentucky, Tennessee State, SIUE and Eastern Illinois in succession.
However, the last two games weren't kind to the Govs as they dropped a 69-53 decision at UT Martin, then a 74-61 loss at Southeast Missouri in APSU's last outing. The Govs currently stand in fourth in the league standings, trailing SEMO, Jacksonville State and UT Martin by one game.
It's also the first home game for Peay since January 2, playing the last five games on the road.
Maggie Knowles leads the Govs in scoring, averaging 11.6 points per game in eight of the team's 11 outings, the only player on the team averaging double figures. Brianah Ferby is close to the mark with a 9.5-point average, as well as Ella Sawyer with a 9.3-point mark.
On the glass, D'Shara Booker leads the team with a 4.7-rebound average. Sawyer, who has only played in three games, leads the team in assist per game average, but it is Brandi Ferby (30 assists), Nina De Leon Negron (26) and Brianah Ferby (24) who leads the team in total dishes.
As a team, Peay is shooting .397 from the field, including .312 from beyond the arc and .685 from the free-throw line. Their opponents are averaging .416 from the field, .306 at the 3-point mark and .730 from the stripe.
In contrast, the Golden Eagles are shooting .420 from the field, including .303 from 3-point range and .736 at the free-throw line. Tech's opponents are shooting .456 from the field, .348 from 3-point range and .662 at the line.
Tech continues to have three players averaging double-digits in scoring, led by Kesha Brady with 14.7 points, Mackenzie Coleman with 11.9 and Anna Jones with 10.4. Jones leads the Golden Eagles in rebounding with 6.8 rebounds a game, while Jada Guinn leads the team with an average of 3.6 assists per game.
The Golden Eagles were able to get a lot of bench production in their last outing as Tech routed Tennessee State 83-34, a game that was just outside the top 10 margins of victory in program history.
Just for comparison's sake in common opponents, APSU defeated the Tigers 62-37 on January 4, while beating EIU 77-68 (Tech won 72-67), beating Eastern Kentucky 69-51 (the Golden Eagles fell 73-65) and losing to Southeast Missouri 74-61 (Tech lost 79-70).
The series dates back to the inaugural varsity season in 1970-71 with the Golden Eagles owning a 79-22 all-time record against Austin Peay, a .782 winning percentage topped only by Tech's mark against Murray State (.786, 66-18) and Tennessee State (.813, 61-14) in the record book. In the last 10 meetings, the two teams have split with five victories apiece, although the Golden Eagles have won the last two. Tech head coach Kim Rosamond is 3-3 against Austin Peay.
In the last meeting, the Golden Eagles were held to single-digit scoring In the first two quarters to trail APSU 22-17 at the half. Tech outscored Peay 18-17 in the third, then surged ahead in the final period, outscoring the Govs 23-10. Jordan Brock and Brady led the way with 11 points each, as well as Coleman adding nine points and seven boards.
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Photo | Matt Dexter, TTU Athletics
