GAME NOTES | OVC QUARTERFINALS | vs. JACKSONVILLE STATE (PDF)
By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Survive and advance. That's the simple mantra for any basketball team when you get into tournament time. The regular season is done, now a loss means your season could very well be done.
That's the situation that lies ahead for the Tennessee Tech women on Thursday as the fifth-seeded Golden Eagles take on No. 4-seed Jacksonville State in the quarterfinal round of the Ohio Valley Conference Basketball Championships. Tipoff is scheduled for a 1 p.m. start at Evansville's Ford Center.
Dylan Vazzano and Thomas Corhern will handle broadcast duties on 106.1 The Eagle, while Bob Belvin and Helen Williams will take on the broadcast for ESPN+ (subscription required).
When the two teams met this season, the home team was victorious each time. Now, for the third time, it goes to a neutral court at the Ford Center. Previously in Evansville, JSU has gone 1-3, falling in the opening round the last two seasons, dropping a 77-60 decision to No. 3 Morehead State and a 49-46 game to No. 4 Eastern Illinois. The Gamecocks won the opener as the No. 4-seed in 2018, topping Morehead State 69-56, but fell in the next game 63-53 to Belmont.
The Golden Eagles, meanwhile, did not make the inaugural field in Evansville in 2018. They had one of the best turnarounds in the NCAA in 2019 and reached the semifinals in 2019, beating Austin Peay 68-57 before falling to Belmont 62-48. Last season, not even 48 hours from a tragic tornado hitting Cookeville and Putnam County, Tech gave Southeast Missouri a fight, taking the eventual conference champion to overtime, but the Redhawks prevailed 82-81.
In the first meeting this season, Kesha Brady put the Golden Eagles up on top with seconds remaining as she hit two of her 13-for-16 at the charity stripe. Yamia Johnson set up for a shot, but couldn't get it to fall as Tech won 68-66. Brady ended the game with 27 points and six rebounds, while Anna Jones had 21 points and Jada Guinn added 11.
In the second meeting, it was the final stage of a three-game road trip over five days as Tech went from Austin Peay to Murray State to Jacksonville State. The Gamecocks had five double-digit scorers in the contest as Taylor Hawks led the way with 15 points. Tech's shooting started at 33.3 percent in the first quarter and continued to falter, hitting two shots in the second and three shots in the third, but the Golden Eagles made a furious comeback attempt, outscoring JSU 23-16 to get back within 11 for the final margin of 69-58.
Historically, Tennessee Tech is the most successful team in the OVC Basketball Championships in both championship wins and games won. The Golden Eagles have won a conference-best nine tournament titles – Austin Peay the closest contender at seven, then UT Martin and Belmont the active third-place holder with four each. Middle Tennessee won six before departing after the 1999-2000 season.
In the OVC Tournament, the Golden Eagles hold a conference-best 46 wins, followed by Austin Peay with 27 and UT Martin with 26.
However, Jacksonville State is one of three OVC teams faced in the tournament history to never record a win against – Samford and SIUE are the other two.
The Gamecocks (15-8, 12-7 OVC) come into the game winning seven of their last nine games – a 54-53 loss at Belmont and a 78-75 loss to Murray State standing as the two blemishes in that stretch. Tech (14-9, 12-8 OVC), meanwhile, has lost four of its last 10 games, falling on the road at SEMO (59-55) and Belmont (73-61) and at home against Belmont (77-65) and Murray State (68-67).
Johnson stands as JSU's only double-digit scorer, averaging 14.4 points and 5.0 rebounds a game. Taylor Hawks (9.3 ppg) and Imari Martin (8.3 ppg) are close behind, while Jessie Day leads the team in rebounds with a 7.0 average.
The Gamecocks are averaging 64.4 points per game, while allowing an average of 57.6. The team is shooting .393 from the field, .310 from beyond the arc and .642 at the free-throw line.
Tech has four players averaging double-digit scoring, led by Kesha Brady with 11.9 points and 5.1 rebounds a game. Jordan Brock and Anna Jones tout identical 11.3-point clips, while Jones is averaging a team-high 6.2 boards. Mackenzie Coleman is scoring at a 10.2-point rate with 5.9 rebounds a game. Jada Guinn is next in scoring with 8.7 points as well as 6.0 rebounds a game.
The Golden Eagles are averaging 67.2 points a game, while allowing 61.9 points. From the field, Tech continues to shoot a strong .428 clip, including .325 from three and .749 at the charity stripe.
