Tech women head to Little Rock for New Year's contest
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Tennessee Tech looks to ring in the New Year on a high note as the Golden Eagles travel to Little Rock for a 3 PM matinee on Thursday. However, there’s no love lost between these two teams as they’ve battled in the seven meetings between them since the Trojans joined the Ohio Valley Conference. Noah McKay and Frank Harrell will have the call on 106.1 The Eagle, while the game will also be streamed on ESPN+ (subscription required).
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
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14 | 13 | 5 | 12 | 44 |
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12 | 12 | 14 | 13 | 51 |
Team Stats
Little Rock
| Game Statistics | Tennessee Tech | Little Rock |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (15-57) | (20-57) |
| Field Goal % | 26.3% | 35.1% |
| Rebounds | 39 | 46 |
| Assists | 4 | 7 |
| Turnovers | 17 | 14 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 10 | 8 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 7 | 6 |
| Pts in the Paint | 12 | 40 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 4 | 4 |
| Bench Pts | 3 | 2 |
By Thomas Corhern, TTU Athletics Media Relations
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Tennessee Tech looks to ring in the New Year on a high note as the Golden Eagles travel to Little Rock for a 3 PM matinee on Thursday. However, there's no love lost between these two teams as they've battled in the seven meetings between them since the Trojans joined the Ohio Valley Conference.
Noah McKay and Frank Harrell will have the call on 106.1 The Eagle, while the game will also be streamed on ESPN+ (subscription required).
Little Rock holds a tenuous 4-3 lead in the brief series that will end this season as both the Golden Eagles and the Trojans are heading to new conferences as Tech joins the Southern Conference next season while Little Rock is joining the United Athletic Conference. Tech won both meetings last season – 70-49 in Cookeville and 61-57 in Little Rock.
The Golden Eagles' biggest win over the Trojans came in the OVC tournament title game in 2023.
This season, Little Rock is starting the season with a 5-7 record, 1-1 in the conference as the Trojans beat Morehead State 76-63 on the road, before falling 57-40 at Southern Indiana. The Trojans topped non-Division I opponent Hendrix 73-52 before the holiday break.
As a team, Little Rock is averaging 60.5 points on offense, while allowing an average of 63.2 points per game. The Trojans are shooting .363 from the field, .290 from 3-point range and .709 at the free-throw line, averaging 5.0 3-pointers and 12.0 free throws made per game.
The bulk of the Trojans' scoring is coming from Jordan Holman, who is averaging 17.7 points per game, while the 5-11 graduate guard/forward is also leading the team in rebounds (5.8 per game), blocks (16 total) and steals (22 total).
Brenna Burk is averaging 8.6 points and 2.5 rebounds, Mya Cotto 7.1 points and 2.3 rebounds and Alaina Payne 5.8 points and 4.7 rebounds with 18 steals and a team-best 36 assists.
While the Golden Eagles' 27-game home winning streak is not in play in Thursday's contest, Tech is looking to add to its 18-game OVC winning streak, which stretches back to last January after a defeat at Eastern Illinois. Tech has started 3-0 with home victories over Southeast Missouri, UT Martin and Tennessee State to finish December with a 6-0 record.
Thursday's game is Tech's first road contest since the Golden Eagles took on No. 18 USC before Thanksgiving.
The Golden Eagles have been on fire in the last five games, averaging 79.2 points per game and allowing 60.8 – compared to their season average of 70.3 points on offense and 60.9 on defense. Tech is shooting .390 from the field, .339 from long range and .694 from the line, averaging 6.7 3s and 16.3 free throws per game.
Tech has four players averaging double-digit scoring, led by Reghan Grimes at 14.4 points per game (15.0 in the last five), followed by Reagan Hurst (12.2 ppg, 14.3 over the last five), Chloe Larry (11.7 ppg, 11.3 over the last five) and Cam Mathews (11.3 ppg, 14.2 in the last five). LaReesha Cawthorn is not far out, averaging 8.4 points per game – though she is averaging 10.6 in the last five.
Cawthorn, a true freshman, is also leading the team in rebounds (9.3 per game), blocks (14 total) and steals (21 total). Grimes leads the team in assists with 32, while Mathews is close there with 27.
Tech is currently the top team in the country in 3-point defense, allowing a 22.1-percent effort from their opponents. The Golden Eagles are also 14th in the nation in free-throw attempts per game (23.4) and 17th in offensive rebounds per game (16.6).
Cawthorn ranks 17th in offensive rebounds per game with 4.1, while ranking 38th in rebounds per game (9.3) and 54th in total rebounds (112). Grimes is 39th in the country in free-throw percentage, hitting at an 87.3-percent clip.
Following the trip to Little Rock, Tech will travel to Eastern Illinois and Western Illinois next week before returning home on Jan. 15 to host Southern Indiana.
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
