Golden Eagle women look to wrap up successful 2025 with win over TSU Tuesday
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee Tech is sure going to be sad to see 2025 go – multiple winning streaks, two Ohio Valley Conference championships, an NCAA tournament appearance and starting the 2025-26 season at 9-2 – the team’s best start since 1989-90. So as the Tech women close out 2025 on Tuesday night against Tennessee State, the Golden Eagles are looking to tie a bow on the calendar year with a victory over the Tigers.
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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13 | 16 | 14 | 20 | 63 |
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13 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 69 |
Team Stats
Tennessee State
| Game Statistics | Tennessee State | Tennessee Tech |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (24-53) | (23-67) |
| Field Goal % | 45.3% | 34.3% |
| Rebounds | 43 | 38 |
| Assists | 8 | 10 |
| Turnovers | 28 | 14 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 16 | 19 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 11 | 18 |
| Pts in the Paint | 42 | 30 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 14 | 12 |
| Bench Pts | 30 | 21 |
GAME NOTES | Game 12 vs. Tennessee State | PDF
By Thomas Corhern, TTU Athletics Media Relations
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee Tech is sure going to be sad to see 2025 go – multiple winning streaks, two Ohio Valley Conference championships, an NCAA tournament appearance and starting the 2025-26 season at 9-2 – the team's best start since 1989-90.
So as the Tech women close out 2025 on Tuesday night against Tennessee State, the Golden Eagles are looking to tie a bow on the calendar year with a victory over the Tigers. In the calendar year from January 2025 and before Tuesday's year-end contest, Tech has gone 28-4 over the last 12 months.
Tipoff on Tuesday is scheduled for 5:30 PM. Dylan Vazzano and Frank Harrell will have the call on ESPN+ (subscription required), while Noah McKay and Jacob Vinson will narrate the action on 106.1 The Eagle.
Tuesday's doubleheader is the Purple Haze night with fans encouraged to wear purple. There is also a $5 admission offer for Upper Cumberland residents, while there is also a foam noodle giveaway, sponsored by Pepsi, while supplies last.
It's been over a week since the Golden Eagles won their 500th game in the Hooper Eblen Center with a 74-62 victory over UT Martin, extending their program-best home winning streak to 26 victories, including a 16-0 mark at home against the OVC. Tech has also won 17 OVC regular-season contests in a row, dating back to last season's loss at Eastern Illinois on January 9.
Tech used its Dec. 18 and Dec. 20 wins over Southeast Missouri and UT Martin to start off league play 2-0 and share a three-way tie at the top with Western Illinois and Southern Indiana also standing 2-0.
This week's opponents – Tennessee State and Little Rock on Thursday – both have 1-1 records in the conference so far.
The Tigers enter Tuesday's contest with a 2-9 record overall, topping Southeast Missouri 76-72 on Dec. 20 for their second win of the season and first in league play. The other victory was an 82-76 triumph over North Alabama back on Nov. 19.
It's hard to fault TSU on its start as the Tigers have played a challenging non-conference slate, which includes losses to Middle Tennessee, TCU, Vanderbilt, William & Mary, Lipscomb and Chattanooga before OVC play began.
As a team, the Tigers are scoring 60.8 points a game, while allowing 80.5 per game. TSU is shooting .378 from the floor, .287 from 3-point range and .626 at the free-throw line – averaging 4.6 long-range shots and 12.9 free throws made per game.
Aaniya Webb, who has played in nine of the Tigers' 11 games, is the only player averaging double-digit scoring with an 11.7 mark, while Somah Kamara (8.6 ppg), Xai Whitfield (8.5 ppg), Erin Martin (8.4 ppg) and Sadie Sanchez (8.2 ppg) are all averaging over eight points a game.
Kiki Roberts leads the assault on the glass by a wide margin, pulling down a team-best 84 rebounds, including 31 offensive caroms. Whitfield leads TSU with 27 assists, while Martin has 10 blocks and Kamara 16 steals.
Tech comes into the game with a 9-2 record on the season, winning five in a row with the last loss coming to No. 18 USC back on Nov. 25. Since then, the Golden Eagles have nearly swept the entire month of December at home with victories over Lipscomb (68-55), future Southern Conference foe Samford (82-60), Stephens College (92-53), Southeast Missouri (79-66) and UT Martin (74-62).
The Golden Eagles, as a team, are averaging 70.4 points per game, while allowing 60.7 on the defensive end per game. Tech is shooting .395 from the field, .349 from 3-point range and .698 from the line, averaging 6.9 3-pointers and 16.0 free throws made per game.
Tech currently ranks second in the nation in 3-point defense, holding opponents down to a 22.4-percent completion percentage with 38 made in 170 shots. The only team better so far this season is UC Santa Barbara at 22.2 percent. The Golden Eagles are also ranking 20th nationally in offensive rebounds per game with 16.2 per game, while team leader LaReesha Cawthorn is 14th nationally, averaging 4.1 per game.
Four players are averaging double-digit scoring for the Golden Eagles, led by Reghan Grimes (14.7 ppg), Chloe Larry (12.3 ppg), Reagan Hurst (12.0 ppg) and Cam Mathews (11.7 ppg). Cawthorn is just outside at 8.3 ppg.
Cawthorn has dominated the glass, though, leading Tech with 9.5 rebounds per game with 45 offensive boards and 60 defensive. She also has the top team total in blocks with 13, while she shares the team-lead with Grimes in steals with 16.
Grimes has a team-best 32 assists, while Mathews has 27.
Photo | Thomas Corhern, TTU Athletics Media Relations
