February 7, 2011

Back to their old tricks, Darling and Hayes dominate OVC awards

Behind a pair of solid performances in Tennessee Tech’s two wins against Eastern Kentucky and Morehead State, junior guard Tacarra Hayes and junior center Brittany Darling can boast another pair of Ohio Valley Conference weekly awards

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Behind a pair of solid performances in Tennessee Tech's two wins against Eastern Kentucky and Morehead State, junior guard Tacarra Hayes and junior center Brittany Darling can boast another pair of Ohio Valley Conference weekly awards. Hayes was named the OVC Player of the Week and Darling the OVC Newcomer of the Week.

The honors were announced Monday by the OVC office and voted on by the sports information directors from around the league.

A guard out of Lebanon, Ky., this is the fifth time Hayes has been named the OVC Player of the Week and the third time this season.

Against EKU, Hayes posted her seventh career double-double with 29 points and 19 rebounds. Her 29 point performance crossed the 1,000 point plateau, making her the 26th Golden Eagle to reach 1,000 points at Tech. She followed up with 18 points, seven assists and six rebounds Saturday in Tech's win over Morehead State.

A transfer student from Owens (Ohio) Community College, this is the sixth time Darling has been named the OVC Newcomer of the Week.

Darling began the week with seven points and six rebounds Thursday in the victory over Eastern Kentucky. She then posted her best numbers to date as she tallied career-highs in points (20), rebounds (15) and blocks (4) against Morehead State. In the final seven minutes of the first half she accounted for 16 of Tech's 20 points, including a stretch of 14 straight points, to propel the Golden Eagles from four points down to 10 points up heading into the locker room.

Tech (18-4, 12-1 OVC) hits the road Thursday for a two-game stretch beginning with Murray State. Opening tip is set for 5:15 p.m.