By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – A slow start didn't hamper the Tennessee Tech women's team on Saturday. Once the shots started to fall, the floodgates opened and the Golden Eagles were able to put together an 11-0 run in the second quarter and never looked back as Tech took a 74-58 victory over SIUE on Saturday.
With the win, the Golden Eagles improve to 10-5 on the season, 4-2 in the Ohio Valley Conference. The win also gives Tech its 499th all-time victory in OVC play, meaning the Golden Eagles can become the first OVC team to win 500 conference games as early as Thursday when Tech returns home for a contest against Southeast Missouri.
The first quarter was tough as the Golden Eagles put up 13 shots with just two going in. Tech wasn't silenced on the scoreboard as it collected seven points on 10 free throws in the opening stanza.
Yet once the shots started to fall in the second quarter, the point totals started to rise as the Golden Eagles' starters all scored in double figures. True freshman Chloe Larry narrowly missed tying her season-best as she scored 21 points on 6-of-12 shooting, but she hit double-digits on rebounds for the first time with 10 to collect her first career double-double. Anna Walker also scored 11 points with a career-high 14 boards to collect her fourth career double-double and her second of the campaign.
Keeley Carter scored 13 points – including 7-of-10 at the free-throw line – while Peyton Carter scored 11 points on three 3-pointers and a pair of charity tosses and Reghan Grimes collected 11 points.
Walker also had four blocks in the victory, while Keeley Carter had five assists.
SIUE, who fell to 2-13 on the season and 0-6 in league play, saw a pair of 12-point performances from Jaiden Bryant and Brianna Wooldridge and an 11-point day from K.K. Rodriguez.
Tech was 9-for-17 from the field, hitting at a 52.9-percent rate, in the second quarter, then shot 46.2 in the third and 41.7 in the fourth to finish the day hitting 40.0 percent with a 22-for-55 effort.
Both teams show time at the free-throw line as Tech was 21-for-29 at the stripe, SIUE 17-for-23.
The Golden Eagles won the battle on the glass 47-31 with 15 offensive boards to collect 14 second-chance points.
With the score squared at 12 at the end of the first quarter, Tech outscored the host Cougars 23-13 In the second, bolstered by the 11-0 run, to take a 35-25 halftime lead. The Golden Eagles then outscored SIUE 21-14 in the third to make it a 56-39 advantage at the end of the period.
SIUE used a 10-0 run to cut the deficit back down within nine points (56-47), but Tech extended its lead back out to 15 with 5:10 remaining (62-47). The Cougars cut it back down to nine points (67-58) with 2:09 left in the game, but that was the last points SIUE had in the game as the Golden Eagles scored seven unanswered to end the contest.
Tech returns to the Hooper Eblen Center this week as it hosts Southeast Missouri on Thursday for a 5:30 p.m. contest, then Little Rock on Saturday at 1 p.m. The Golden Eagles will then be on the road the two following weeks with visits to Tennessee State, UT Martin, Morehead State and 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
