Posted: Jan 31, 2025
By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Tennessee Tech took the first meeting against the defending Ohio Valley Conference champs, now the stage is set for the rematch Saturday as the Golden Eagles head to Evansville to take on Southern Indiana.
Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. Roger Ealey will have the call on 106.1 The Eagle, while the game will also be streamed on ESPN+ (subscription required).
In the earlier meeting in the Eblen Center, it was a fight to the finish. Tech took a four-point lead after the first quarter only to see the Screaming Eagles knot things up before halftime. USI tied the game twice in the fourth quarter, including a 74-74 tie with just under two minutes remaining. Peyton Carter had a 3-point play with a jumper and free throw, followed by a Chloe Larry floater and a Reghan Grimes free throw with 39 seconds left to push the advantage back out to six.
Vanessa Shafford brought the Screaming Eagles back within three points with a long-range bucket at the 13-second mark, but Anna Walker iced the game with five seconds left as she drained the back end of a pair of free throws.
Keeley Carter and Reghan Grimes both led Tech with 23 points each, while Peyton Carter added 11. Triniti Ralston led USI with 25 points with Shafford adding 23 and Meredith Raley chipping in with 11.
Since the teams last me, USI has gone 5-2 with an 89-83 overtime loss at Little Rock and a 51-49 loss at Eastern Illinois to stand 8-3 in the Ohio Valley Conference and 16-6 overall. The Screaming Eagles also stand a game back from the Golden Eagles.
Tech, in its eight games since they squared off with USI, has gone 7-1 with the lone loss coming at Eastern Illinois on Jan. 9. The Golden Eagles have since won six straight games heading into the showdown Saturday at USI.
With Eastern Illinois' first conference loss of the season on Thursday night, Tech and Lindenwood both stand a game back in the OVC standings with a 9-2 mark. USI and Little Rock are both at 8-3 to round out the league's top five. Western Illinois and UT Martin are in sixth and seventh at 5-6, followed by a three-game gap where SIUE and Southeast Missouri reside at 2-9. Morehead State is 2-10, while Tennessee State is 1-10 in the standings.
As a team, USI is averaging 72.7 points and allowing 61.2. The Screaming Eagles are shooting .451 from the field, .361 from 3-point range with an average of 6.2 made treys and .734 at the line with an average of 12.4 free throws made.
Raley leads the team with 14.5 points a game and 13 total blocks. Shafford is averaging 11.9 points and a team-high 7.2 rebounds. Ali Saunders is averaging 10.9 points and has a team-best 88 assists ad 60 steals.
The Golden Eagles, meanwhile, are averaging 69.9 points and allowing 62.9 points per game, while shooting .424 from the floor, .355 from 3 with an average of 7.2 3-pointers made and .741 at the line with an average of 14.9 free throws made.
Grimes leads Tech with 13.8 points per game, followed by Peyton Carter (11.5 ppg), Chloe Larry (11.0 ppg) and Keeley Carter (10.8 ppg). Walker leads the team in rebounds with a 6.4 per-game clip, while Peyton Carter has the team lead in assists with 73, Grimes leads the team in steals with 35 and Walker leads the team with 29 blocks.
Keeley Carter, who recently surpassed the career 2,000-point mark after four seasons at Division II Trevecca and her brief tenure with the Golden Eagles, leads the team in scoring in OVC play, scoring 155 of her 216 points with Tech against conference foes with a 14.1-point average.
Following Saturday's game in Evansville, the Golden Eagles return home to take on SIUE on Thursday.
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
