By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – With finals week and commencement out of the way, the Tennessee Tech women's basketball team is back in action Saturday as it looks to make that final non-conference push before Ohio Valley Conference play starts in a month.
It starts on Saturday as the Golden Eagles (3-3) entertain Alabama A&M (0-6) at the Eblen Center starting at 1 p.m.
Rob Schabert and Frank Harrell will have the call on 106.1 The Eagle, while Dylan Vazzano and Michael Cooper will broadcast the game on ESPN+ (subscription required).
The game is also Camper Appreciation Day with all kids that attended a Tech men's or women's basketball camp this summer able to receive a free ticket to Saturday's contest. The kids are encouraged to wear their camp T-shirt.
It's also the first of back-to-back home games for the Tech women as it also hosts Tennessee Wesleyan on Tuesday for the team's annual Education Day game with Upper Cumberland schools in attendance. Please note there is an 11 a.m. start time for the Tuesday contest.
The Bulldogs come in looking for that first regular-season win after facing an incredibly difficult schedule to start with Southeastern Conference defeats at Alabama (98-51) and Ole Miss (74-28) sandwiching losses to Nicholls (60-55), Samford (75-68), North Alabama (66-48) and Murray State (57-36).
With the strong schedule thus far, it's no surprise to see their season numbers shaded the way they are. Alabama A&M is averaging 47.7 points per game on offense, while allowing 71.7 per game. The Bulldogs are shooting .282 from the floor, .242 from 3-point range and .593 from the free-throw line.
The opponents they have faced have also created issues with turnovers as AAMU is averaging 18.7 giveaways a game.
Toni Grace leads the Bulldogs in scoring with a 9.5-ppg average and assists with a team-best 11 assists. Taylor Smith (8.0 ppg) and Amiah Simmons (7.3 ppg) are also among AAMU's scoring leaders. Jayla Cody leads Alabama A&M in rebounds with a 5.3 average.
Tech, meanwhile, is playing just its second game since Nov. 20 and first since Dec. 1. Those two previous games were tough losses against Northern Kentucky (75-53) and a surging Middle Tennessee team (83-45) that went on to beat No. 18 Louisville in the following game.
The Golden Eagles have not played at home since Nov. 17 when they beat Trevecca Nazarene. Tech is currently 3-0 this season at the Eblen Center and has a six-game home winning streak stretching back into the end of the last season.
Tech is also trying to make the push to 1,000 program wins, standing at 996 all-time and looks to become the 21st Division I women's program to win 1,000 total games. Head coach Kim Rosamond is also on the way to her own personal milestone as she currently stands at 95 wins.
The Golden Eagles are led through the first six games by Maaliya Owens, who is currently averaging 11.6 points per game. Anna Walker leads the team in rebounds with a 5.3 average, while also posting a 10.0-point average. Freshman Reghan Grimes is off to a strong start, averaging 9.7 points and 5.2 rebounds, while redshirt freshman Reagan Hurst is also progressing well with an 8.2-point average.
The Golden Eagles are averaging 61.2 points per game and allowing an average of 68.5. Tech is shooting .375 from the floor, .330 from long-range and .714 at the free-throw line.
Tickets for Tech basketball season are on sale now – call (931) 372-3940, visit the Hooper Eblen Center ticket office or order online at TTUsports.com.
Photo | Thomas Corhern
