By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Anna Walker came out in force, pacing the Tennessee Tech women's basketball team in its Ohio Valley Conference quarterfinal contest against SIUE on Thursday. She had eight points alone in the first quarter and finished with 16 in the contest to lead all scorers as the Golden Eagles took a 76-62 victory over the Cougars.
Tech wins its 20th game of the season and advances to Friday's semifinal against Eastern Illinois. Tipoff in that contest is slated for 3:30 p.m. Dylan Vazzano and Frank Harrell will have the call on 106.1 The Eagle, while Connor Onion and Teresa Phillips will have the broadcast on ESPN+ (subscription required).
The 20 wins gives Tech that mark for back-to-back seasons, the first time for the Golden Eagles to win back-to-back 20 wins since 2004-05 and 2005-06. It is also the third straight appearance in the tournament semifinals.
Walker finished the game shooting 6-for-9 from the field and 3-for-4 from the free-throw line as she also pulled down three rebounds. She was one of four Golden Eagles in double-digits as Maaliya Owens scored 15, Jada Guinn 14 and Reghan Grimes 11.
While the 3-point shot had been one of Tech's weapons of choice, the Golden Eagles pressed forward into the paint, outscoring SIUE 36-22 inside. That also led to 25 shots at the free-throw line as the Golden Eagles drew 23 fouls. Tech hit 19 charity tosses, while SIUE was 8-for-10 at the stripe.
Foul trouble hampered SIUE's Ajulu Thatha. While the All-OVC forward finished the game with 14 points and 13 rebounds, she also saw her night end early after 27 minutes of action as she was disqualified on fouls. Mikayla Kinnard was also erased from the contest, while Olivia Clayton had four fouls.
KK Rodriguez scored 13 points and Macy Silvey had 12.
As the Golden Eagles started to take away the inside shot – and the Tech lead started to climb -- SIUE retreated outside. The Cougars attempted 28 3-pointers, knocking down 10 with Silvey hitting four and Rodriquez three.
Tech also dominated the glass, outrebounding SIUE 41-31. Guinn led the Golden Eagles with nine caroms, while she also had a team-best six assists along with two steals and a block. Peyton Carter had eight rebounds, Grimes seven and Kiera Hill six – including four offensive boards.
The Golden Eagles also capitalized on turnovers as they forced 16 and turned those into 20 points. Tech had 13 turnovers and the Cougars converted into nine points.
Tech had its largest run in the first quarter with an 8-0 run midway through the opening stanza, outscoring the Cougars 18-11 in the first 10 minutes. SIUE kept it closer in the second with a 21-17 Golden Eagle advantage for a 39-28 halftime lead. The Cougars surged in the third quarter, cutting the game back down to a five-point Tech lead twice, but the Golden Eagles kept surging back out, taking their largest lead of the contest at a 14-point margin.
Now Tech (20-9) will see Eastern Illinois again in the semifinals on Friday. The Golden Eagles saw the Panthers this past Saturday, beating EIU 66-61 on the road as Guinn scored 22 points with nine rebounds, three boards, a steal and two blocks. Walker added 11 points after missing the first meeting between the two teams in Cookeville – a 67-61 loss to make the season series a wash – while Peyton Carter had 10 points.
Macy McGlone scored 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting, while Lariah Washington had 13.
Tech improves to 49-28 all-time in the Ohio Valley Conference Basketball Championships. Friday will be the 31st appearance in the semifinals for the Golden Eagles with a 23-7 record in the semifinals all-time.
Photo | Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
