By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – It's down to the last two weeks of the Ohio Valley Conference regular season and Tennessee Tech will look to defend the home court in its final four games of the campaign.
There's a lot on the line as UT Martin comes to town Thursday for a 5:30 p.m. contest.
Dylan Vazzano and Frank Harrell will broadcast the game on ESPN+ (subscription required), while Roger Ealey will cover the action on 106.1 The Eagle. Locally, the game will also be shown on WCTE.
Tech (20-5, 14-2 OVC) enters the game with a 14-game home winning streak and an 11-game overall winning streak – tied for the longest in head coach Kim Rosamond's tenure with the Golden Eagles. The 2019-20 team also had an 11-game stretch, which is tied for the fifth-longest winning streak in program history. A win Thursday would give Tech its longest winning streak since winning 18 straight in the 2000-01 campaign and tie the 12-game streak in 1991-92 for the fourth-longest.
The Golden Eagles continue to be tied atop the league standings with Lindenwood (18-7, 14-2 OVC) in the league standings, which could potentially set up a showdown with the Lions next Saturday for the regular-season championship.
However, there are three games before that regular-season finale.
In the meantime, Eastern Illinois is still a game back at 13-3, waiting for either Tech or Lindenwood to falter and get back into the running. Little Rock presently stands fourth at 11-5, followed by Southern Indiana at 10-6, UT Martin (9-8), Western Illinois (7-9) and Tennessee State (4-13) comprising the current tournament field. Morehead State (3-13), SIUE (2-14) and Southeast Missouri (2-14) are still within reach of the final spot in the bracket as of Thursday.
The Skyhawks enter the Eblen Center following a 73-52 victory over Tennessee State at the Elam Center Tuesday night with UTM winning all four quarters, but a 20-5 outburst in the second quarter propelling the Skyhawks to the win.
UTM junior forward Anaya Brown collected her fourth double-double of the season, leading all scorers with 24 points and pulling down 10 rebounds. Brown was 7-for-14 from the field and 9-for-10 at the line, while also blocking five shots. Kenley McCarn also scored 20 points, while Shae Littleford had 10.
There were a combined 42 turnovers in the contest with the Skyhawks scoring 22 points off of takeaways. UTM also took advantage of 20 TSU fouls, going 20-for-28 at the free-throw line.
Tennessee State, Tech's opponent on Saturday in the Eblen Center, was led by Saniah Parker with 15 points, while Erin Martin scored 11 and Aaniya Webb chipped in with 10.
The Golden Eagles ended a three-game losing streak against UT Martin in the earlier meeting on January 25 with Tech winning 70-59. Tech battled back from a 13-8 first-quarter deficit, outscoring the Skyhawks 21-5 in the second.
Reghan Grimes scored 18 points in the victory, while Keeley Carter sank four 3-pointers en route to a 16-point day, Anna Walker scored nine and reigning OVC Freshman of the Week Chloe Larry scored eight. McCarn and Daejah Richmond both scored 13 points to pace the Skyhawks, while Brown scored 10.
As a team, the Skyhawks are averaging 66.8 points a game and allowing 67.0, shooting .419 from the field, .310 from 3-point range and .751 from the line. Brown leads the team with a 14.5-point average, followed by McCarn (13.6 ppg) and Littleford (10.9 ppg).
The Golden Eagles average 70.5 points a game and allow 61.4, shooting .425 from the field, .360 from 3-point range and .749 at the free-throw line. Grimes leads the team in scoring with a 12.8-point average, while Larry (11.8 ppg), Peyton Carter (11.4 ppg) and Keeley Carter (11.2 ppg) are in double-digit averages with Anna Walker (9.8 ppg) and Taris Thornton (9.0 ppg) close behind.
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 | Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
