Golden Eagles take to the West Coast as they face No. 18 USC Tuesday
LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Tennessee Tech has played some historic programs over the team’s 56 seasons of play, but surprisingly, Tuesday will be the first time the Golden Eagles will take on USC. That will be remedied on Tuesday as the Golden Eagles head to the Galen Center to take on the No. 18-ranked Women of Troy at 9 PM Central.
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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8 | 11 | 15 | 10 | 44 |
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22 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 85 |
Team Stats
USC
| Game Statistics | Tennessee Tech | USC |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (14-65) | (33-63) |
| Field Goal % | 21.5% | 52.4% |
| Rebounds | 38 | 49 |
| Assists | 8 | 21 |
| Turnovers | 12 | 13 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 13 | 12 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 12 | 16 |
| Pts in the Paint | 16 | 40 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 8 | 16 |
| Bench Pts | 9 | 40 |
GAME NOTES | Tennessee Tech at No. 18 USC (PDF)
By Thomas Corhern, TTU Athletics Media Relations
LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Tennessee Tech has played some historic programs over the team's 56 seasons of play, but surprisingly, Tuesday will be the first time the Golden Eagles will take on USC.
That will be remedied on Tuesday as the Golden Eagles head to the Galen Center to take on the No. 18-ranked Women of Troy at 9 PM Central.
Dylan Vazzano and Frank Harrell will have the radio call on 106.1 The Eagle, while the game will be streamed on B1G+ (subscription required) with RahShaun Haylock, Kasey Kazliner and Nia Satterfield Brown on the broadcast team.
The Golden Eagles are soaking in the California sun today in between practices against the West Coast Big 10 power, coming off a thrilling 61-52 victory this past Thursday in the Hooper Eblen Center. Tech has won four of its first five contests of the season.
USC, who was ranked No. 11 this past week, are stinging from a two-point loss to Notre Dame on Friday. The Trojans led the Fighting Irish by 11, but Notre Dame marched back for the 61-59 victory.
The Women of Troy have lost two of their last three games, but with Notre Dame and the other USC – South Carolina (69-52) – handing them their two losses on the season, it's against some of the best competition in the game.
USC lost one of its (and the game's) top players – junior guard JuJu Watkins – during the NCAA tournament this past March to an ACL injury and she's already been ruled out this season after posting a stunning 23.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.2 steals per game last year.
Still, the Trojans are finding ways to fill her shoes. USC is averaging 69.0 points per game while allowing 59.4, shooting .390 from the field, .303 from long-range with 6.6 3s per game, and .641 at the line with an average of 10.0 made free throws per game.
Freshman guard Jazzy Davidson has been fantastic in her short career in the Cardinal and Gold, averaging 15.2 points with 27 rebounds, 19 assists, 11 blocks and 12 points, playing much bigger than her stature as a 6-1 guard. Senior guard Kara Dunn leads the team on the glass with 5.8 rebounds per game, pulling together five assists, a block and eight steals to go along with her 11.8-point average.
Sophomore guard Kennedy Smith is averaging 11.0 points and 4.8 rebounds, with 15 assists and nine steals. Senior guard Londynn Jones is averaging 10.2 points and 2.4 boards, collecting 11 assists, a block and four steals.
If anything is certain about the Women of Troy, they are fast, they can disrupt offenses and they can dish out the ball with 75 assists, 105 forced turnovers and 50 steals to their credit.
Tennessee Tech, meanwhile, doesn't shy away from tough competition as those games help make the team better heading into Ohio Valley Conference play in just a few short weeks. With victories over traditional rival Middle Tennessee and soon-to-be Southern Conference rival East Tennessee State, the Golden Eagles have some good wins under their belt.
However, there's no question that the difficulty ramps up tremendously with this matchup. That's never stopped the Tech women before, though, welcoming the challenge with open arms.
Senior Reghan Grimes leads Tech with a 15.2-point, 5.0-rebound average, while also collecting nine assists, three blocks and six steals. Sophomore Chloe Larry is also averaging double-digit points with 11.8 per game with a 4.2-rebound average, while racking up eight assists and three blocks.
Graduate Reagan Hurst had a strong start against ETSU with nine points and two boards before being sidelined with a minor injury. She is averaging 9.4 points and 2.6 rebounds with 11 assists and five steals. Tulsa transfer Cam Mathews has been impressive in her Golden Eagle era, averaging 9.0 points and 2.8 caroms, while leading the team in assists with 15, with three blocks.
Freshman LaReesha Cawthorn has also been solid in her first five outings with the team, leading the team with an 8.0-rebound average and posting 8.2 points per game with a squad-best seven blocks and steals.
As a team, Tech is scoring 67.0 points per game and allowing 57.4, shooting .398 from the field, .315 from 3-point range with an average of 5.6 made per game, and .761 at the stripe with an average of 17.8 made.
Following Tech's showdown at the Galen Center, the Golden Eagles will return home for the entire month of December to open a six-game home stand on Dec. 1 as Lipscomb comes into the Eblen Center.
Season 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
