Posted: Feb 12, 2025
By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – As the Ohio Valley Conference season starts to wind down toward the postseason tournament, the Tennessee Tech women's basketball is keeping its nose to the grindstone as the Golden Eagles look to claim the conference's regular-season title.
It will not be an easy task as Tech heads into Jack Stephens Arena Thursday to take on Little Rock.
Tipoff for the game is scheduled for 5 p.m. Dylan Vazzano will have the call on 106.1 The Eagle, while the game will also be streamed on ESPN+ (subscription required).
Little Rock has spent a short time in the OVC with the Trojans holing a 2-4 record over the Golden Eagles. The first win came in the 2023 OVC tournament championship. The second came in Cookeville in January.
Tech knows it has what it takes to beat the Trojans, but now the battle shifts to Little Rock's home court.
The Trojans (13-11, 11-4 OVC) emerged victorious in a tight battle with Southeast Missouri (4-20, 2-13 OVC), winning 60-52, but the game was close with Little Rock retaking the lead with 4:44 remaining and pulling away in the final moments.
Faith Lee led the Trojans with 13 points – including 7-for-10 at the free-throw line – while Jordan Holman and Emerald Parker both had 12 points. Holman was 6-for-6 at the line. Little Rock went to the line 26 times, hitting 18 as they forced the Redhawks into 19 personal fouls.
Little Rock shot 40 percent from the field and from 3-point range, knocking down two of their five 3-point tries. It forced SEMO to shoot 33.3 percent from the field, 25.0 percent from 3, but was 7-for-7 at the line.
Lexi McCully scored 18 points, Ainaya Williams 10 and Sophie Bussard eight for the Redhawks, who the Golden Eagles will see on Saturday.
Little Rock averages 62.4 points a game and allows 65.5 with the Trojans shooting .401 from the field, .264 from long-range and .693 at the line, averaging 2.9 3-pointers and 13.5 free throws made per game.
Tech won the previous meeting in the Eblen Center 70-49 as the Golden Eagles surged out early, outscoring the visitors 16-6 in the first quarter as Tech rained 3-pointers, then led 33-18 at the half. Little Rock chipped away in the third, but the Golden Eagles outscored the Trojans 17-8 in the final 10 minutes, including the final 10 unanswered points in the game.
Reghan Grimes led the scoring with 21 points on 8-for-10 shooting, while Peyton Carter had 16 points and 11 rebounds for her fourth career double-double.
With the Golden Eagles' win over Eastern Illinois on Saturday, Tech has now won nine straight games and continues to stand in a first-place tie in the conference with Lindenwood.
As a team, Tech is averaging 70.6 points and allowing 62.0 points per game, shooting .427 from the field, .362 from 3-point range and .745 at the line, averaging 7.5 3-pointers and 15.0 free throws per game. Grimes leads the team in scoring with 12.9 points a game, while Chloe Larry (11.4), Peyton Carter (11.3) and Keeley Carter (11.3) all average double-digit scoring with Anna Walker on the cusp at 9.9.
Walker also leads the team in rebounds with 147 and blocks with 44, while Grimes leads the team in steals with 39. Peyton Carter has the team lead in assists with 84.
Following Saturday's game at Southeast Missouri, the Golden Eagles return home for the final four games of the regular season as they try to defend their 14-game home winning streak.
Tickets for Tech basketball are on sale now – call (931) 372-3940, visit the Hooper Eblen Center ticket office or order online at TTUsports.com.
Photo | Jim Dillon
