Golden Eagles top Lipscomb women with balanced scoring and defense
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Balanced scoring with four players in double
figures, a huge command on the glass and aggressive defense helped
the Tennessee Tech women's basketball team claim a satisfying 72-55
non-conference victory at Lipscomb University Tuesday night.
Senior Blair Bowens led the Golden Eagles (1-1) to their first win
of the season with 15 points, five rebounds, three assists and two
steals.
"This was a very good team effort," said third-year head coach Amy
Brown. "We had a lot of people step up, not only in scoring but our
defense was very good.
"Our pressure defense out of our guards right now is phenomenal,
and we're pushing the ball up the floor," she added.
Freshman Krystal Stirrup earned her first career double-double with
12 points and 10 rebounds, helping Tech to a 48-37 edge on the
boards.
"Krystal Stirrup is going to be an unbelievable player," said
Brown. "She's such an awesome talent."
Sophomore Jasmine White added 10 points and eight of those
rebounds. Vivian Nwosu was the fourth Golden Eagle in twin digits
with 10.
In addition to that foursome, Tech also got eight points off the
bench by freshman Tacarra Hayes, seven points and four assists from
senior Allison Price, and six points and four assists from senior
Meagan Lyons.
"We're really displaying a team concept right now, and it's because
we have some depth on the bench," Brown said.
Tech led from start to finish, building an early double-digit lead.
Tech didn't allow a Bison field goal for nearly five minutes and
raced out to a 14-3 advantage.
After Lipscomb trimmed the difference to four points, 16-12, the
Golden Eagles went on an 11-2 run to make it 27-14. At that point,
Tech also owned a 21-13 advantage in rebounds.
With 10 seconds to play in the half and Tech's lead down to six,
White drove through the lane, took a pass from Price, drew a foul
and hit a layup and free throw. That three-point play sent Tech to
the break with a 36-27 advantage. The nine-point scoring margin was
mirrored by Tech's nine-rebound lead at halftime, 26-17.
Jenna Bartsokas, who led Lipscomb with 20 points, converted a
three-point play early in the second half to make it a seven-point
difference, 37-30, but the Bisons would never get any closer.
In fact, Tech scored the next six points to regain a double-digit
margin and the lead never shrunk below 10. The largest Tech margin
was 19 points, 65-46, with 5:40 to play following a layup by
Lyons.
In addition to Bartsokas, Miriam McAlister also scored in double
figures for Lipsomb (0-2) with 10 points. Tech's defense limited
Lipscomb to 32.8 percent shooting (19-for-58) from the field,
including 2-for-12 from long range.
The Golden Eagles pay a return visit to Nashville for their next
game, facing Belmont University Saturday night at the Curb Events
Center at 7 p.m.
? The game featured two women's basketball programs that are each
sneaking up on milestones - Lipscomb is 12 victories from achieving
their 600th all-time win, while Tech needs eight more to hit the
800-win plateau.
? It was an historic night for Tech basketball, as the two teams
were playing the first road non-conference doubleheader in 26
years. The last time occurred on Dec. 4, 1982, when both teams
played in a twinbill at Auburn.
