By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- After two tough road battles, the Tennessee Tech women's basketball team is ready to get back into the win column. They'll get a good opportunity to make that a possibility Tuesday as they take on Samford in a matinee contest.
Tipoff at the Pete Hanna Center is scheduled for 12 p.m. Dylan Vazzano will have the call on 106.1 The Eagle, while the game will also be streamed on ESPN+ (subscription required).
Samford has opened the season with a 2-5 record, but the Bulldogs have faced an incredibly difficult schedule to start off, including a 101-53 loss at Tennessee, a 63-44 loss at Central Arkansas, an 88-75 loss at Memphis, a 101-68 loss at Florida State and a 104-59 loss last Friday at Vanderbilt. The Bulldogs' two wins are both non-Division I contests with a 112-61 victory over Fisk and an 87-71 win over Montevallo.
Samford is averaging 71.1 points per game, while allowing 84.1. As a team, the Bulldogs are shooting .408 from the field, .314 from 3-point range and .582 at the charity stripe. Samford is averaging 40.3 rebounds per game, while opponents are pulling down 40.0 per game.
The Bulldogs are also averaging 15.7 assists, 20.3 turnovers, 7.6 3-pointers made and 12.1 free-throws per game. Samford's opponents hit 16.0 free throws and 6.4 3-pointers per game.
Center Emily Bowman – standing at 6-5 – leads the team with 12.4 points and 9.9 rebounds per game, collecting 87 points, 69 rebounds and 12 blocks so far. She also leads the team in personal fouls with 27, disqualified in two of their seven games. Claire Johnson is also averaging double-digit scoring with 10.3 points per game. Sierra Godbolt leads the team in assists with 29, while Sadie Stetson leads Samford with nine steals.
The Golden Eagles, meanwhile, started off strong with a four-game winning streak, but the last two games have been a speed bump, falling 69-52 at Middle Tennessee and 53-48 in the last outing at East Tennessee State.
For the season, Tech is averaging 64.5 points, while allowing 57.0. The Golden Eagles are shooting .408 from the field, .286 from long-range and .716 from the stripe, while also pulling down 40.0 rebounds to opponents' 31.3. Tech is also averaging 5.3 3-pointers and 13.8 free throws, while opponents are collecting 6.0 3-pointers and 12.0 free throws.
Tech also has four players averaging double-digits in scoring with Reghan Grimes leading the way with a 12.0-point average and the team-lead in steals with 15. Peyton Carter is averaging 10.7 points, while sharing the team-lead in assists with Chloe Larry with 19. Taris Thornton and Larry both are averaging 10.2 points a game. Anna Walker is just under the decade mark at 9.2 points, but leads the team in rebounds with 9.2 per game as well as 13 blocks.
After the Samford matinee, the Golden Eagles will enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday before flying out to Boulder to take on Colorado, then will return home to face the University of the Cumberlands in the annual Education Day game before opening Ohio Valley Conference play at Western Illinois.
Season 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
