January 10, 2025
Tech women back in action Saturday at SIUE
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – Thursday night was not indicative of the Tennessee Tech women’s basketball team and they are determined to put that game in the rear view and keep progressing toward the Ohio Valley Conference title. It’s still a long time until the OVC tournament and still a lot that could happen between now and March, but the focus is squarely on Saturday’s opponent – SIUE. The action is still on schedule for Saturday at 1 p.m. Roger Ealey will have the call on 106.1 The Eagle, while the game will also be streamed on ESPN+ (subscription required).
By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – Thursday night was not indicative of the Tennessee Tech women's basketball team and they are determined to put that game in the rear view and keep progressing toward the Ohio Valley Conference title.
It's still a long time until the OVC tournament and still a lot that could happen between now and March, but the focus is squarely on Saturday's opponent – SIUE.
The action is still on schedule for Saturday at 1 p.m. Roger Ealey will have the call on 106.1 The Eagle, while the game will also be streamed on ESPN+ (subscription required).
Without dwelling too much into Thursday's contest at Eastern Illinois, it was an uncharacteristic night for the Golden Eagles with missed shots and turnovers turning into a rough night. That's in the past – the focus now is on the Cougars, who are still looking for their first conference victory of the season.
SIUE enters Saturday's game with a 2-12 record and 0-5 mark in league play. The Golden Eagles hold a 14-8 series advantage, but the Cougars are 5-6 against Tech at First Community Arena.
The Cougars have been idle since Tuesday, following a 69-56 loss at Eastern Illinois, and have not won a game in nearly a month, topping Southern Illinois 71-59 on Dec. 15. Since conference play started, SIUE has dropped a 23-point game to Little Rock, a six-point game to Southeast Missouri, a 27-point game to Western Illinois and a 14-point game to Lindenwood in addition to Tuesday's game at Groniger Arena.
On the season, SIUE is averaging 58.7 points while allowing 72.1. The Cougars are shooting .351 from the field, .274 from 3-point range with an average of 6.2 makes, and .686 from the free-throw line, averaging 10.8 free throws a game. Their opponents are shooting .412 from the floor, .332 from the arc and .710 at the line with an average of 6.5 treys and 15.1 free throws allowed.
The Cougars are also averaging 18.2 turnovers a game, almost four a game more than their opponents.
K.K. Rodriguez has only seen action in eight of the Cougars' 14 games this season, returning to the lineup in December. She has scored in double-digits in three of the last four games with two of those 20-point outings. Rodriguez is the only Cougar averaging double-digit scoring at 12.5 points a game as the Tulsa transfer is shooting .337 from the floor, .250 from 3-point range and .833 at the line. She also averages 3.3 rebounds.
Brianna Wooldridge is SIUE's leading board grabber with 4.7 rebounds a game to go with 8.3 points a night. Emiyah Cobb leads the team with 26 assists, while Macy Silvey and Molly Sheehan each have a team-high 11 steals. Halle Smith has a team-best 10 blocks.
The Golden Eagles, meanwhile, fell to a fifth-place tie with UT Martin in the league standings on identical 3-2 marks in league play. EIU remains the lone unbeaten team at 6-0 with Southern Indiana and Little Rock both at 4-1 and Lindenwood at 3-1.
As a team, Tech (9-5, 3-2 OVC) is averaging 68.0 points and allowing 63.4, shooting .412 from the floor, .349 from 3 with 7.0 makes and .720 from the charity stripe with 13.4 hit. The Golden Eagles are averaging 14.6 assists and 17.6 turnovers.
Tech has three double-digit scorers with Reghan Grimes leading the way with a 12.5 mark to go along with a 5.6-rebound average with 34 assists, 10 blocks and a team-high 27 steals. Peyton Carter is averaging 11.4 points with a 4.9-rebound average, a team-best 53 assists and 21 steals. True freshman Chloe Larry is averaging 10.3 points with a 4.9-rebound average, 41 assists and nine steals.
Taris Thornton is averaging 9.9 points with 17 blocks and 25 steals, while Anna Walker is averaging a team-best 6.5 rebounds with a team-high 21 blocks and 17 steals.
Following Saturday's game at SIUE, the Golden Eagles will return home Thursday to take on Southeast Missouri.
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 Sports Information
