Tech women welcome in Samford Thursday for Education Day contest
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – It’s one of the most exciting days of the season as school children from all over the Upper Cumberland converge on the Hooper Eblen Center for Tennessee Tech women’s basketball’s annual Education Day. The last two Education Day contests stand as the second and third-largest attendances in Golden Eagle women’s basketball history, bringing in 6,024 last year for a victory over the University of the Cumberlands and 5,887 in 2023 with a triumph over Tennessee Wesleyan. Thursday’s contest, however, will be a sneak preview of Southern Conference competition as the Samford Bulldogs come into town. Tech was Samford’s Education Day opponent last season as the Golden Eagles left Birmingham with a 79-65 victory in front of 311 screaming school kids.
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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16 | 11 | 15 | 18 | 60 |
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25 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 82 |
Team Stats
Samford
| Game Statistics | Samford | Tennessee Tech |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (21-53) | (26-69) |
| Field Goal % | 39.6% | 37.7% |
| Rebounds | 21 | 59 |
| Assists | 7 | 11 |
| Turnovers | 13 | 13 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 10 | 13 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 6 | 21 |
| Pts in the Paint | 30 | 38 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 5 | 19 |
| Bench Pts | 29 | 18 |
By Thomas Corhern, TTU Athletics Media Relations
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – It's one of the most exciting days of the season as school children from all over the Upper Cumberland converge on the Hooper Eblen Center for Tennessee Tech women's basketball's annual Education Day.
The last two Education Day contests stand as the second and third-largest attendances in Golden Eagle women's basketball history, bringing in 6,024 last year for a victory over the University of the Cumberlands and 5,887 in 2023 with a triumph over Tennessee Wesleyan.
Thursday's contest, however, will be a sneak preview of Southern Conference competition as the Samford Bulldogs come into town. Tech was Samford's Education Day opponent last season as the Golden Eagles left Birmingham with a 79-65 victory in front of 311 screaming school kids.
Tipoff is scheduled for 11 AM Thursday with Dylan Vazzano, Frank Harrell and Ella Fox on the call on ESPN+ (subscription required), while Noah McKay and Jacob Vinson will narrate the action on 106.1 The Eagle.
Season ticket holders will be seated in Section D on Thursday to accommodate the visiting students.
Samford comes into the game with a 4-6 record, but has won one of its last four games. At the Georgia State MTE last week, the Bulldogs fell 67-44 to Central Arkansas and 69-64 against host Georgia State. Samford closed out the MTE with a 58-48 win over Stony Brook.
But Monday's 77-40 loss against Minnesota is indicative of why the Bulldogs have six losses as Samford has not been afraid to schedule Power Four competition with games against Nebraska (L, 80-46), Florida (L, 87-40), Alabama (L, 84-45), Minnesota and another one against Mississippi State on Dec. 28 before opening SoCon play on Jan. 8.
The strong competition has also skewed Samford's stats. As a team, the Bulldogs are averaging 57.9 points a game, while allowing 65.7. The Bulldogs are shooting .363 from the field, .320 from long-range with an average of 9.6 3s per game, and .731 at the free-throw line with an average of 7.9 made per game.
Austin Peay transfer Briana Rivera currently stands as the Bulldogs' lone double-digit scorer with a 13.6-average, but Kaylee Yarbrough isn't far off at a 9.3-point clip. Jada Knight and UCF transfer Sierra Godbolt both are averaging 6.5 points a night.
Samford averaged 34.5 rebounds, led by Vanderbilt transfer Emily Snoddy with 6.2 boards a game and 5.3 for Spanish freshman Carla Baguda. The duo also has 21 of the team's 31 blocks with Snoddy swatting 11 and Baguda 10. Freshman Francie Morris has a team-best 10 steals.
The Golden Eagles come into the game with a 5-2 record, going back and forth in the last five games with three wins and two losses. After a 63-54 victory over traditional rival Middle Tennessee, Tech fell in a 61-60 heartbreaker at Kennesaw State, beat SoCon foe ETSU 61-52, dropped an 85-44 contest at No. 18 USC and beat Lipscomb 68-55 on Monday.
As a team, Tech is averaging 63.9 points a game, while allowing 61.0. The Golden Eagles are shooting .368 from the field, .333 from beyond the arc with an average of 6.3 3s a game, and .712 at the stripe with 15.6 free-throws made per game.
Tech has a trio of double-digit scorers with Reghan Grimes leading the way with 14.0 points a game, with Chloe Larry at 11.9 and Reagan Hurst at 10.8 – bolstered by her 18 points on Monday in the return from her week-long absence from an injury against ETSU.
Cam Mathews is averaging 9.3 points, while LaReesha Cawthorn is at 6.9.
Cawthorn leads the team on the glass with a 7.9-rebound average, with Grimes (4.6 rpg) and Larry (4.7 rpg) rounding out the top three. Grimes (18), Mathews (16), Hurst (14) and Larry (13) lead Tech in assists, while Cawthorn leads the team in blocks with seven and Grimes leads the lineup in steals with 12.
Samford is the second game of Tech's six-game homestand. Following Thursday, Tech will be idle until Dec. 13 as the Golden Eagles host Stephens College following finals and graduation. Tech opens Ohio Valley Conference play on Dec. 18 against Southeast Missouri, then hosts UT Martin on Dec. 20. The Golden Eagles host Tennessee State on Dec. 30 before ringing in the New Year on the road at Little Rock on Jan. 1.
Tickets for Tennessee 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 Athletics Media Relations
