The Lady Golden Eagles fell to the Eastern Kentucky Colonels on Monday in one of the last Ohio Valley Conference Eastern Division games. The Colonels were off to a hot start, leading Tech by as much as 10 and the Golden Eagles were unable to overcome the deficit.
“I’m disappointed because I really felt like we should have beat them, but we need to put two halves together and we don’t need to be playing catch up for the whole game,” said freshman Catherine Taylor.
Eastern Kentucky had four players in double digits with leading scorer, Marie Carpenter with 25. Junior Diamond Henderson led the boards for the Golden Eagles with 28 points, reaching the 1,000 career point mark within the first half. Henderson would end the night with 1,018 points, becoming the 27th player in Tech history to join the 1,000-Point Club. Hannah Goolsby and Candace Parson both would end the night in double digits, as well. Kayla Brewer broke her own record in rebounds, ending with 16 and four blocked shots.
The Golden Eagles fought an early deficit after the Colonels racked up 10 points. The Golden Eagles tightened up their defense in the second half, coming within four points twice within the last four minutes. With 31 seconds left, Henderson shot a 3-pointer, putting the Golden Eagles down three. With a foul in the backcourt from the Golden Eagles, Colonel Michaela Hunter sank two free throws and pushed the lead to five. Parson then scored a quick layup, but TTU was never able to get the ball back.
TTU Athletic Director Mark Wilson said despite the loss, he is still excited for OVC tournament play.
“The Tennessee Tech Golden Eagle Women’s basketball team is currently tied for fourth place in the OVC standing. I have complete confidence in our student-athletes and coaches to finish the regular season strong and make a run at the OVC Championship in the tournament,” said Wilson.
The Golden Eagles were constantly facing a heavy deficit by as much as 13 points. The Colonels ended the game going 13-for-22 with a 59.1 percent shooting from the field. The Golden Eagles went 10-for-29 with a 34.5 percent shooting from the field.
With only three remaining conference games before the tournament, Tech will matchup against Southeast Missouri State on Monday, Feb. 24 at 7:00 p.m. at the Hooper Eblen Center in its final home game of the season.
All students receive free admission into any home game with a valid Eagle Card.
