Tech women win 500th in the Eblen Center, top UTM
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – It was a milestone nearly 50 years in the making on Saturday as the Tennessee Tech women’s basketball collected its 500th victory in the Hooper Eblen Center, topping UT Martin 74-62. Dating all the way back to the first season in the Eblen Center in 1977-78 and now 49 seasons later, the Golden Eagle women have defended their home court well with a 500-172 record and a .744 winning percentage at home. It wasn’t easy, though, as UT Martin kept it close in the first quarter, then outscored the Golden Eagles 18-10 in the second to take a 33-28 advantage. Tech countered with a 13-4 run to open the second half and outscored the Skyhawks 23-10 in the third. The Golden Eagles extended their lead with a 23-19 fourth quarter to cruise to their 26th straight win in at home to extend their program-best streak in progress.
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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15 | 18 | 10 | 19 | 62 |
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18 | 10 | 23 | 23 | 74 |
Team Stats
UT Martin
| Game Statistics | UT Martin | Tennessee Tech |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (25-56) | (28-64) |
| Field Goal % | 44.6% | 43.8% |
| Rebounds | 26 | 43 |
| Assists | 12 | 15 |
| Turnovers | 10 | 13 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 9 | 11 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 8 | 21 |
| Pts in the Paint | 28 | 26 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 8 | 11 |
| Bench Pts | 6 | 5 |
By Thomas Corhern, TTU Athletics Media Relations
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – It was a milestone nearly 50 years in the making on Saturday as the Tennessee Tech women's basketball collected its 500th victory in the Hooper Eblen Center, topping UT Martin 74-62.
Dating all the way back to the first season in the Eblen Center in 1977-78 and now 49 seasons later, the Golden Eagle women have defended their home court well with a 500-172 record and a .744 winning percentage at home.
It wasn't easy, though, as UT Martin kept it close in the first quarter, then outscored the Golden Eagles 18-10 in the second to take a 33-28 advantage. Tech countered with a 13-4 run to open the second half and outscored the Skyhawks 23-10 in the third. The Golden Eagles extended their lead with a 23-19 fourth quarter to cruise to their 26th straight win in at home to extend their program-best streak in progress.
Tech continued to dominate the glass in recent games, pulling down 43 boards, including 16 offensive caroms – seven for LaReesha Cawthorn out of her 14 total. The Golden Eagles ended the game with 21 second-chance points.
Chloe Larry came out on fire, going 3-for-3 from the floor for six points and four boards, while Reghan Grimes also collected a sextet of points in the opening stanza.
Cam Mathews had seven of Tech's 10 points in the second quarter, but the Golden Eagles couldn't get much to fall before the intermission as Tech was 3-for-13 from the field and 2-for-4 from both long range and the line in the second quarter.
Grimes took over in the third quarter, scoring 10 of the Golden Eagles' 23 points with a 4-for-6 run. After Kenley McCarn hit a layup at 9:13 in the new half, Tech got 10 straight points with a Cawthorn 3, an Amaya Redd layup, followed by both a three and a jumper for Grimes.
After Sidni Middleton chipped in a jumper for the Skyhawks, Redd collected an and-one bucket, then Grimes added another jump-shot bucket.
UTM got six free throws in the remainder of the quarter, but it didn't stack up to Amaya Thomas' layup added to 3-pointers for Mathews and Grimes.
Larry paced the Golden Eagles the rest of the way with eight points in the fourth quarter, while Mathews had five.
Tech (9-2, 2-0 Ohio Valley Conference) had a pair of 19-point performances as Mathews added 19 points to her career-high tally of 34 against Southeast Missouri to end the week with 53 points. Mathews was 7-for-16 from the field with a 4-for-9 effort beyond the arc with eight rebounds, two assists and a steal.
Grimes also had 19 points on 7-of-14 shooting, going 4-for-5 from long-range and 1-for-1 at the stripe. Grimes ended the game with seven rebounds, five assists and a steal.
In addition to Cawthorn's 14 rebounds, the freshman also had eight points, two assists, two steals and three blocks. Redd finished the game with nine points and a rebound.
Middleton led UTM (5-6, 1-1 OVC) with 25 points on 9-of-13 shooting – including a pair of 3s and 5-for-5 at the line, while McCarn had 16 points on 7-of-21 shooting. Brittani Wells had six assists and four steals to go with her seven points and five rebounds.
The Golden Eagles are idle through the Christmas holiday and will return to action at home on Tuesday, Dec. 30 as Tech hosts Tennessee State in a 5:30 PM contest at the Hoop.
Tickets for Tennessee Tech basketball are on sale now – call (931) 372-3940, visit the Eblen Center ticket office or order online at TTUsports.com.
Photo | Thomas Corhern, TTU Athletics Media Relations
