After starting the month with a home loss to Belmont Feb. 1, the Golden Eagle women’s basketball team was back in action at the Hooper Eblen Center Monday night against in-state rival Tennessee State.
The Lady Tigers began the game sharp, leading the Golden Eagles by as much as seven early in the first half. Tech managed to tie the contest 10-10, but could not take the lead until the 4:18 mark of the half, when senior center Candace Parson’s layup put Tech up one. The Golden Eagles held the lead until just under two minutes left in the half.
A Jemilah Leonard layup with 1:21 left in the half gave TSU the lead, 36-35, but before the halftime horn another lead change occurred. Senior guard Diamond Henderson made two free throws late and the Golden Eagles took the 39-37 lead into break.
Senior forward Molly Heady opened the second half with a 3-pointer. Tech would hold the lead most of the second half even stretching it to 12 with 5:43 left in the game, but two Lady Tiger 3-pointers cut in.
The aggressive TSU team refused to go away. They clawed their way back into the game and found themselves down by only three points with 27 seconds. Parson would then knock down a pair of free throws and take the lead back to five.
However, on the following TSU possession, Imani Davis’ layup brought it back to a 3-point game. Freshman guard Hannah Goolsby hit the first of two free throws but would miss the second.
The Lady Tigers’ had one final scratch at the lead after a steal by Davis, but her layup was off the mark. A rebound by Tech’s Cat Taylor with less than 10 seconds left sealed the deal and the Golden Eagles escaped with a 79-75 victory.
Parson and Henderson led the Golden Eagles scoring. Henderson finished with 25 points. Parson scored a career high 20 points. Heady was perfect from beyond the arc going 3-3.
Graduate student Kayla Brewer finished with a career best seven blocked shots. She also added nine rebounds and four points to her stats sheet.
The Golden Eagles will be back in action Feb. 8 when they visit the Jacksonville State Gamecocks.
