By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
NASHVILLE – Tennessee Tech wasn't going to make it three straight losses at the Gentry Center. With inspired efforts from Reghan Grimes and Maaliya Owens, the Golden Eagles were able to claim an 86-81 victory over Tennessee State on Thursday night.
While the final deficit was five points, the game was in the Golden Eagles' control for the entire second half as Tech (8-9, 3-3 Ohio Valley Conference) led by as many as 19 points nearly midway through the third quarter at 63-44. That's not to say the host Lady Tigers (5-11, 2-4 OVC) didn't make it interesting – TSU cut the deficit down to three points on a 3-pointer from Sanaa' St. Andre at 1:15 remaining in the contest, Tech leading 81-78.
Grimes extended the lead back out to five with a pair of free throws at 17 seconds left, then to seven on two more at four seconds remaining. After St. Andre drained a 3-pointer with two seconds left, she fouled out, wrangling up Grimes and putting her Tech counterpart back on the line, where she hit one of the two free tosses.
Grimes' night was incredible as she joined the Tech 30-point club, collecting a career-high 31 points on 10-of-15 shooting and 10-for-11 at the free-throw line. The Nashville native also tied her career-high in rebounds with 10 to collect her first career double-double.
Owens, who saw her night come to a close early on a called fifth foul, was 8-for-13 from the field as she went 5-for-7 from beyond the arc, hitting a couple of key treys to pace the Golden Eagles' 19-6 start to the third quarter. Owens had eight points in the run, while Harley Paynter had five and Anna Walker and Reagan Hurst each had three.
Owens ended the contest with 21 total points.
Yaubryon Chambers also scored in double-digits for the Golden Eagles, picking up 12 points on 4-for-5 shooting and a 4-for-5 appearance at the stripe.
Tech ended the game shooting 23-for-29 at the free-throw line, a crisp 79.3-percent effort. The Golden Eagles were also shooting 50.9 percent from the field and 45.0 from long-range.
St. Andre also showed how much of a scoring threat she is, collecting 37 total points in the contest as the Kansas City transfer was 16-for-27 from the floor, including 4-for-6 from 3-point range. She ended the game with five rebounds and four assists. Caitlin Anderson had a game-best seven assists.
Saniah Parker also collected double-digit points for the Lady Tigers, scoring 12 with a 7-for-10 effort at the stripe.
The game was an even affair for most of the first half as the two teams ended up square at 16 to end the first quarter, then Tech outscored State 28-22 to take a 44-38 lead into the locker room. With both teams having their scoring runs in the third quarter, the Golden Eagles outscored the Lady Tigers 29-26 in the stanza before TSU won the fourth quarter 17-13.
Tech is idle on Saturday, but will return to action next Thursday night as the Golden Eagles head to Eastern Illinois and SIUE for its next two OVC stops.
The Golden Eagles return home on Feb. 1 as they host Southern Indiana. Tickets for Tennessee Tech basketball are on sale now – call (931) 372-3940, visit the Hooper Eblen Center ticket office or order online at TTUsports.com.
Photo | Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
