Golden Eagle women hosting Tennessee State among Legends Weekend festivities
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – It’s a big weekend contest for the Tennessee Tech women’s basketball team as the Golden Eagles aren’t just trying to keep pace at the top of the Ohio Valley Conference standings, but Tech will also welcome back some of the biggest stars of its illustrious past as it is Legends Weekend at the Hooper Eblen Center. The festivities will be part of Tech’s game against Tennessee State on Saturday, slated for 3:30 p.m. or roughly 30 minutes after the conclusion of the men’s contest against the Tigers on ESPNU.
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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15 | 16 | 16 | 24 | 71 |
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23 | 20 | 20 | 21 | 84 |
Team Stats
Tennessee State
| Game Statistics | Tennessee State | Tennessee Tech |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (27-61) | (29-61) |
| Field Goal % | 44.3% | 47.5% |
| Rebounds | 27 | 41 |
| Assists | 10 | 16 |
| Turnovers | 12 | 18 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 11 | 24 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 8 | 9 |
| Pts in the Paint | 40 | 34 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 12 | 9 |
| Bench Pts | 14 | 17 |
By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – It's a big weekend contest for the Tennessee Tech women's basketball team as the Golden Eagles aren't just trying to keep pace at the top of the Ohio Valley Conference standings, but Tech will also welcome back some of the biggest stars of its illustrious past as it is Legends Weekend at the Hooper Eblen Center.
The festivities will be part of Tech's game against Tennessee State on Saturday, slated for 3:30 p.m. or roughly 30 minutes after the conclusion of the men's contest against the Tigers on ESPNU.
Dylan Vazzano and Steve Smith will have the call on ESPN+ (subscription required), while Roger Ealey and Frank Harrell will narrate the action on 106.1 The Eagle.
While Tech women's basketball alumni from all eras of the program will be on hand to celebrate their time in the Purple and Gold, as well as the program's 500th OVC victory in January, the program will also celebrate the anniversary of several milestone teams, including:
- The 1984-85 Tech women's basketball team – Finishing 20-9 overall and 12-2 in the OVC, this Tech squad earned an at-large bid to the NCAA West Regional;
- The 1989-90 Tech women's basketball team – That team went perfect through the OVC with a 12-0 mark and went 26-5 overall. Tech won the OVC tournament and claimed an NCAA win over Richmond;
- The 1994-95 Tech women's basketball team – With a 19-13 overall record and a 12-4 OVC mark, Tech claimed the OVC regular-season title that season;
- The 1999-2000 Tech women's basketball team – Tech went 24-9 and 16-2 in the OVC to win both the regular-season and tournament title to make an appearance in the NCAA East Regional.
The Golden Eagles have won 12 straight games following Thursday night's 70-55 victory over UT Martin in the Hooper Eblen Center. That is the longest winning streak in head coach Kim Rosamond's tenure – and she has six of the longest streaks in program history. The 12-game streak is tied for the fourth-longest and is surpassed by a 17-game streak in 1976-77, an 18-game streak in 2000-01 (the longest winning streak prior to the current one) and the program-record 21-game run in 1975-76 as Tech finished 28-2.
Tech has also won 15 straight home games, dating back to Feb. 13, 2024, with an 80-64 win over Tennessee State. The Golden Eagles fell 65-53 on Feb. 3, 2024 to Morehead State for the last loss in the Hooper Eblen Center. The record for Tech's longest home winning streak is 23 games between Jan. 5, 1987 and Jan. 11, 1989.
With Tech already claiming its 31st season with 20 or more wins, the Golden Eagles are within reach of some impressive milestones ahead. With two more regular-season conference wins, the 2024-25 Tech squad would claim a program-record 17 OVC victories in a season. The Golden Eagles won 16 under Bill Worrell in 1999-2000 and 2005-06. Tech is still within reach of its 19th OVC regular-season championship – its first since the 2012-13 season – and the tournament, with a chance to win their 11th crown there, is just two weeks away.
While it's nice to look at what could be ahead, there's still work to do get there. Right now, the Golden Eagles are still deadlocked with Lindenwood for the top spot in the standings, both with identical 15-2 marks. Tech has Tennessee State and Western Illinois ahead, while Lindenwood has Southeast Missouri and Western Illinois – potentially setting up a championship showdown between the Golden Eagles and the Lions next Saturday in the Eblen Center, barring any unforeseen circumstances in the meantime.
Eastern Illinois isn't out of the mix yet either as the Panthers stand two games back from Tech and Lindenwood. The Panthers are at Morehead State, then host Little Rock and Southeast Missouri to close out the regular season.
That accounts for the top three seeds as Southern Indiana and Little Rock (both 11-6) are out of reach from the double-byes in a tie for fourth. UT Martin is in sixth at 9-9, while Western Illinois (7-10) and Tennessee State (4-13) currently have the final two spots if the regular season ended today.
The Tigers, however, are still in jeopardy as they stand just one game up on Morehead State, SIUE and Southeast Missouri – all at 3-14 and looking to try to earn their ticket to Evansville.
TSU has dropped three of its last four games, including a nine-point loss to Lindenwood, a 20-point loss at Eastern Illinois and a 21-point defeat Tuesday at UT Martin. The Tigers are averaging 63.8 points and allowing 72.3 points a game, shooting .380 from the field, .252 from 3-point range and .601 at the line.
Somah Kamara leads the team in scoring at 13.4 points per game, while Saniah Parker (12.1 ppg), Aaniya Webb (11.5 ppg) and Sanaa' St. Andre (11.2 ppg) all are averaging double-digit scoring – however, St. Andre has not played since Tech's 71-64 win in Nashville on Jan. 23 and is no longer listed on the team's roster.
Tech, meanwhile, is averaging 70.5 points and allowing 61.1 points per game, shooting .425 from the field, .359 from 3-point range and .750 at the line. Reghan Grimes is averaging a team-best 12.9 points per game, followed by Chloe Larry (12.0 ppg), Peyton Carter (11.6 ppg) and Keeley Carter (11.2 ppg) with Anna Walker (9.5 ppg) and Taris Thornton (9.0 ppg) close behind.
Tickets for the final three home games of the season are on sale now – call (931) 372-3940, visit the Hooper Eblen Center ticket office or order online at TTUsports.com.
Photo | Jim Dillon
