By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
MOREHEAD, Ky. – After a rocky start to Ohio Valley Conference play against a traditional conference power and a rising newcomer, the Tennessee Tech women's basketball team will try to get back into the win column on Thursday as the Golden Eagles head to Morehead State.
Tipoff on Thursday is scheduled for 4 p.m. Central time. Roger Ealey will have the call on 106.1 The Eagle, while Jared Stacy and Dean Hardin will broadcast the game on ESPN+ (subscription required).
The game is the first leg of a two-game road trip this week as Tech will also head to Evansville to take on Southern Indiana on Saturday evening before coming home next Saturday to take on Southeast Missouri for the Golden Eagles' only home affair at the Hooper Eblen Center this month.
Morehead State enters the contest with a 6-6 record and 1-0 in the conference after defeating Southeast Missouri 64-61 on New Year's Eve. Katie Novik and Hallie Rhodes both collected career-highs in scoring with 21 and 16 points respectively. Novik knocked down 11 of 14 shots at the free-throw line as MSU was 21-for-29 at the charity stripe.
Rhodes also narrowly missed a double-double with nine total rebounds.
The Eagles were outscored 16-9 in the first quarter as MSU hit just two field goals in the opening stanza, collecting five of their nine points at the line. However, Morehead surged back to outscore the Redhawks 22-9 in the second quarter to take the lead. SEMO turned the ball over 20 times in the contest.
Alecia Doyle scored 17 and Jaliyah Green 15 as SEMO fell to 0-2 in the OVC to start the league slate.
As a team, Morehead State is averaging 66.3 points a game, while allowing 62.6. The Eagles are shooting .403 from the floor, .316 from long-range and .640 from the line. They average 7.1 3-pointers and 11.4 free-throws made per game, but also average 19.9 turnovers per game.
Novik and Veronica Charles are neck-and-neck for the team lead in scoring as Novik is averaging 10.4 points, Charles 10.3. Novik is shooting .429 from the floor and .296 from 3-point range, while leading the team in free-throws made and attempted, knocking down 33 of 47. She is also second on the team in total rebounds with 55, and leads the team in assists (55) and blocks (10).
Charles is shooting .328 from the floor, .271 from 3 and .829 at the line, while leading the team in steals (25).
Before opening OVC play, MSU claimed Division I wins over Ohio and Marshall, while falling to Illinois, Alabama, Lipscomb, Presbyterian, East Tennessee State and Louisville.
The Golden Eagles, meanwhile, are on a two-game skid to open OVC play, falling to Little Rock 59-57 and UT Martin 67-58, ending Tech's three-game winning streak to enter the holiday break.
Tech had a chance to tie or overtake the Trojans in the final minute as Yaubryon Chambers tied the game at 1:02 left, then Tia Harvey hit a second-chance jumper with 32 seconds left. The Golden Eagles turned the ball over on a shot-clock violation as the final shot never came to fruition.
Against the Skyhawks, Tech saw UTM score 21 points to its 11 in the final quarter of play.
As a team, the Golden Eagles are scoring 66.7 points a game, while allowing 64.8. Tech (5-8, 0-2 OVC) is shooting .406 from the floor, .344 from 3-point range and .732 from the stripe. The Golden Eagles are averaging 7.5 3-pointers and 13.2 free-throws made per game.
Maaliya Owens leads the team in scoring, averaging 15.3 points a game, while Reghan Grimes is averaging 8.9, Reagan Hurst 8.2 and Anna Walker 8.1. Grimes and Walker lead the team in rebounds with 4.9 and 4.2 respectively, while Peyton Carter, Cayla Cowart and Owens each lead the team with 32 assists. Walker has the team lead in blocks with 17, while Hurst tops the team in steals with 16.
