Mathews scores 34 as Tech women top SEMO
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Cam Mathews put herself in some elite company on Thursday night as the Tulsa transfer put on a show in Tennessee Tech’s Ohio Valley Conference opener, scoring 34 points as the Golden Eagles topped Southeast Missouri 79-66. The victory extends Tech’s program-record home winning streak to 25 games.
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
14 | 19 | 14 | 19 | 66 |
|
|
20 | 14 | 25 | 20 | 79 |
Team Stats
Southeast Missouri
| Game Statistics | Southeast Missouri | Tennessee Tech |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (25-63) | (26-69) |
| Field Goal % | 39.7% | 37.7% |
| Rebounds | 34 | 58 |
| Assists | 10 | 18 |
| Turnovers | 11 | 19 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 13 | 6 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 19 | 22 |
| Pts in the Paint | 42 | 26 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 7 | 10 |
| Bench Pts | 19 | 4 |
By Thomas Corhern, TTU Athletics Media Relations
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Cam Mathews put herself in some elite company on Thursday night as the Tulsa transfer put on a show in Tennessee Tech's Ohio Valley Conference opener, scoring 34 points as the Golden Eagles topped Southeast Missouri 79-66.
The victory extends Tech's program-record home winning streak to 25 games.
Mathews was on fire from the jump, besting her career-high of 16 before halftime. She ended the game with 34 points, becoming the first Tech player to score 30 since Reghan Grimes on Jan. 18, 2024, at Tennessee State, and scoring the most points by a Golden Eagle player since Yaktavia Hickson scored 37 against Belmont on January 21, 2017.
Jerilynn Harper, Cheryl Taylor, Rachael Gobble and Janet Holt also had 34-point outings, putting Mathews among some of the top names in program history. It is tied for the 40th-most points in a single game by a Tech women's basketball player.
She ended the game shooting 10-for-14 from the field, 6-for-9 from 3-point range and 8-for-8 at the charity stripe. Mathews also collected five rebounds, an assist and a steal.
While the game was physical and the Golden Eagles had a tough time breaking away early on against a much-improved Redhawks squad, Tech did get some tremendous outings from its balanced lineup.
True freshman LaReesha Cawthorn collected her second double-double in three games as she ended the night with 14 points and 16 boards – including seven offensive grabs. Cawthorn was 4-for-8 from the field with a 3-pointer, while also hitting five of eight charity tosses. She also had two assists and two steals.
Chloe Larry, in her first game back after missing the last two games to an injury, had a solid game, posting 14 points with a trio of treys, while also grabbing four rebounds, three assists and a steal.
Reagan Hurst also had 11 points with three rebounds and four assists.
Reghan Grimes had a tough night shooting, but the senior adjusted her game and put up big numbers in other ways as she pulled down 10 rebounds, dished out four assists and blocked a shot.
Tech held on to a 20-14 advantage in the first quarter, but the Redhawks battled back to take the second period with the game standing at 34-33 at the intermission in Tech's favor. The Golden Eagles soared ahead with a 25-14 third quarter, but Southeast Missouri saw a window in the fourth quarter as Tech had a field-goal drought that lasted more than half of the final 10 minutes.
However, by that time, Tech had built a 19-point lead and just needed to hang on. While the Golden Eagles finished 6-for-17 in the fourth from the floor, Tech was 6-for-8 at the line and was able to outscore the Redhawks 20-19 in the final period to hold off any chance of a rally.
Raissa Nsabua led SEMO (3-6, 0-1 OVC) with 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting and 3-for-4 at the line. Ainaya Williams scored 12 and Da'Kariya Jackson added 11.
Tech (8-2, 1-0 OVC) returns to action at the Hoop on Saturday as the Golden Eagles host UT Martin on Saturday at 1 PM.
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
