By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – In Western Illinois' first season in the Ohio Valley Conference, the Fighting Leathernecks have played with a fierce determination, aiming to claim the league title in their first go-round.
However, to do that, WIU will have to go through Cookeville first and a Golden Eagle program that is surging itself as the conference slate is starting to come to a close.
Tennessee Tech welcomes in Western Illinois Thursday night at the Eblen Center with the tipoff set for 5:30 p.m. Roger Ealey and Frank Harrell will have the call on 106.1 The Eagle, while Dylan Vazzano and Steve Smith will narrate the action on ESPN+ (subscription required).
Western Illinois (16-7 overall) is one of the four seven-win teams presently in the conference standings, trailing Southern Indiana (11-1 OVC) and Little Rock (8-4 OVC). Along with the Leathernecks, Morehead State, UT Martin and Eastern Illinois all have a 7-5 mark in the conference, while the Golden Eagles earned their seventh win Tuesday night in a victory over Tennessee State.
Tech (12-12, 7-6 OVC) has won four of its last six games, and while the Golden Eagles are familiar with the rest of their opponents this season, Western Illinois is an unknown quantity. This is the first meeting between the two teams as the Leathernecks made the move from the Summit League to the OVC.
The Leathernecks have an 11-2 record back in Macomb, Ill., but are 5-5 on the road, including a 4-3 road record in the OVC. WIU won 81-75 at SIUE, then lost 68-49 at UT Martin, 72-63 at Eastern Illinois and 81-61 at Southern Indiana. The Leathernecks have won three straight road games since, topping Morehead State 65-59, Lindenwood 75-68 and Southeast Missouri 70-59.
Western Illinois has won four of its last five games, falling a week ago to Little Rock 50-41, before winning 71-61 over UT Martin on Saturday.
As a team, WIU is averaging 74.0 points per game, while allowing an average of 63.6 points. That puts the Leathernecks as the top scoring offense in the OVC and the third-best scoring defense in the league. In contrast, Tech ranks third in scoring offense (69.8 ppg) and fifth in scoring defense (65.5 ppg).
Raegan McCowan, a freshman guard from Lebanon, Mo., is the second-leading scorer and the fourth-leading rebounder as she is averaging 18.3 points and 8.4 rebounds. Anna Deets (13.8 ppg) and Addi Brownfield (10.3 ppg) both average in double-digit scoring with Brownfield leading the team in assists (83) and steals (37) and Alissa Dins leading the team in blocks with 23.
The team is shooting .432 from the field, .349 from long-range and .733 at the free-throw line. The Leathernecks average 7.3 3-pointers and 16 free throws made per game.
The Golden Eagles, meanwhile, are shooting .415 from the field, .333 from 3 and .765 at the line. Tech averages 7.2 3-pointers and 13.8 free throws.
Maaliya Owens leads Tech in scoring with a 15.7-point average, while Reghan Grimes (9.6 ppg), Reagan Hurst (9.0 ppg) and Anna Walker (8.8 ppg) are hovering close to the double-digit mark. Grimes (5.4 rpg) and Peyton Carter (5.0 rpg) lead the team in rebounding, while Carter has a team-best 75 assists and Walker leading the team with 30 blocks. Hurst also leads the team in steals with 37.
Tickets for Tennessee Tech basketball are on sale now – call (931) 372-3940, visit the Eblen Center ticket office or order online at TTUsports.com.
Photo | Jim Dillon
