By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – As the Ohio Valley Conference race draws into the home stretch, Tennessee Tech will see a new face in the Hooper Eblen Center on Thursday night as Southern Indiana plays its first contest against the Golden Eagles.
Tipoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. Thursday. Roger Ealey and Frank Harrell will have the broadcast on 106.1 The Eagle, while Dylan Vazzano and Michael Cooper will handle broadcast duties on ESPN+ (subscription required).
Tech fans are encouraged to wear black for a Blackout night at the game and the first 1,000 fans will receive a voucher for a free T-shirt that can be redeemed at the conclusion of the women's contest against USI. Fans and students in attendance will receive a ticket and be entered in a drawing for prizes during the men's nationally televised game on ESPNU.
The Screaming Eagles enter the contest with a 10-13 record overall on the season, 4-8 in the OVC. USI defeated Morehead State 58-46 on Saturday, but has lost six of its last eight games. Those losses have been close though – four of those five points or fewer, including a three-point loss to Little Rock, a three-point loss to UT Martin, a four-point loss to Tennessee State and a five-point overtime loss to Eastern Illinois.
With six games remaining in the OVC slate for each team, Eastern Illinois remains the leader with an unblemished 12-0 mark, while Little Rock stands one game back at 11-1. Tech has a two-game cushion for the No. 3-seed as 8-4, while UT Martin is fourth at 6-6. Morehead State and SIUE are both at 5-7, while Southern Indiana, Southeast Missouri and Tennessee State are all at 4-8. Lindenwood, who won its first OVC contest on Saturday over the Skyhawks, are 1-11 in the league.
USI is in its first season as a Division I program and has picked up some impressive victories in its first go-round on this level with wins over Western Illinois, Eastern Michigan and Wright State before opening its first OVC campaign with a 68-54 victory over Southeast Missouri.
Hannah Haithcock has been a force for the Screaming Eagles, leading the team in scoring with 14.9 points per game, while also pulling down 6.3 rebounds a game. Meredith Raley averages 13.6 points and 4.8 rebounds, while Vanessa Shafford is scoring 13.0 points and collecting team highs in rebounds (7.4 rpg) and steals (1.87 spg).
As a team, USI is averaging 66.3 points per game and allowing 63.9 as the Screaming Eagles are shooting .406 from the floor, .310 from long-range and .772 from the free-throw line. USI averages 5.1 3-pointers and 14.4 free throws per game.
The Golden Eagles bounced back from a tough road loss at Morehead State with a thrilling victory over Southeast Missouri on Saturday and trying to build some momentum in the final stretch after splitting their last six games.
Maaliya Owens leads Tech in scoring with a 13.5-point average, while Jada Guinn and Anna Walker each average 10.0 points a game. Reghan Grimes leads the team in rebounding with 6.0 boards a game, while Guinn averaged 3.6 assists.
In the last five games, Guinn is shooting .657 from the floor, averaging 13.0 points per game. Owens leads the way with 13.8 points, followed by Walker (12.8) and Grimes (10.2). Tech is averaging 73.4 points in that span with a high of 89 against SIUE and a low of 63 against Little Rock. The Golden Eagles are also shooting .432 from the floor, .323 from beyond the arc and .798 at the stripe.
The numbers are relatively on par for the season with Tech averaging 68.5 points while allowing 63.9, shooting .423 from the field, .318 from 3-point range and .758 at the line.
Tickets for Tennessee Tech basketball are on sale now. Call (931) 327-3940, visit the Hooper Eblen Center ticket office or visit TTUsports.com.
Photo | Jim Dillon
