GAME NOTES: Game 17 -- vs. SIUE (PDF)
By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – While the excitement of the thrilling victory over Ohio Valley Conference leader UT Martin hasn't faded just yet, the Tennessee Tech women's basketball team knows there's still a lot more to do.
With SIUE coming into the Hooper Eblen Center on Thursday night, the Golden Eagles can't back down yet. The visiting Cougars are the only OVC team in program history to hold a winning record over Tech, but the Golden Eagles have made efforts to reverse that trend in the last three seasons.
Tipoff for Thursday's game is scheduled for 5 p.m. Roger Ealey will have the call on 106.1 The Eagle, while Dylan Vazzano and Michael Cooper will handle broadcast duties on ESPN+ (subscription required).
It's been a tough season so far for SIUE, coming into Cookeville with a 6-12 record, 3-10 in the OVC. The two wins for SIUE in the last 10 games have both been against winless Tennessee State, emerging victorious 71-52 in Nashville and 56-35 in Edwardsville. SIUE's other conference win came at home to Murray State, a 64-57 victory.
As a team, the Cougars are averaging 59.6 points a game and allowing 64.7 to opponents. In conference play alone, SIUE's scoring drops to 56.0 and points allowed increases to 66.5. The Cougars' top two scorers – Allie Troeckler and Mikayla Kinnard – are hovering close to double-digit scoring averages with 9.8 and 9.7 respectively, but in league play, their numbers drop nearly a point average down to 8.9 and 8.3.
SIUE is shooting .380 from the field, .275 from 3-point range and .587 from the free-throw line. The team is also outrebounding opponents 39.7 to 36.5. Troeckler also leads the team in rebounding with a 6.3-rebound average, followed closely by Ajulu Thatha with 6.2 ricochets a night.
Last week, SIUE beat TSU at home, then fell 78-33 to Belmont.
The Golden Eagles earned their 10th victory of the season on Saturday, rallying to defeat UT Martin 77-73 following a tough 59-55 loss at Southeast Missouri. Tech improved to 10-6 overall, 8-5 in the OVC.
As the conference stands on Wednesday afternoon, UT Martin continues its hold on the top spot with an 11-2 league mark, while Austin Peay (8-3) and Southeast Missouri (10-4) take the next two spots. Belmont (7-3) stands ahead of Tech (8-5) by virtue of winning percentage, with Jacksonville State (6-5), Murray State (7-7) and Eastern Illinois (7-7) holding a tenuous grasp on the final three spots, while Eastern Kentucky (5-7) and Morehead State (4-9) are still within reach.
Tech's offense continues to be potent as the Golden Eagles have three double-digit scorers in Kesha Brady (13.5), Anna Jones (11.2) and Mackenzie Coleman (11.1), while Jada Guinn (9.8) and Jordan Brock (9.6) are hovering close to the double-digit plateau. Jones also leads the team in rebounds per game with 6.7, while Guinn is not far off with 6.1.
Tech is on a pretty steady tear through its recent games, only losing twice in the last eight contests. Tech has also had seven games decided by five or less points this season, going 5-2 in those contests.
The Golden Eagles are shooting .425 from the field, including .306 from beyond the arc and .753 at the charity stripe. Tech is averaging 68.0 points a game and allowing 63.1. In conference play alone, Tech is shooting .439 from the field, .311 from long range and .745 at the line, while averaging 67.9 points and allowing 62.4.
Photo | Thomas Corhern. TTU Sports Information
