Box Score

RICHMOND, Ky. – Freshman Kayla Drake scored a game-high 22 points to lead Eastern Kentucky to a 66-50 win over Tennessee Tech Saturday at McBrayer Arena . In winning their second straight game, the Lady Colonels (6-8, 3-3 OVC) used a 13-2 run midway through the second half to turn a one-point deficit into a 10 point lead.

Jasmine White scored 11 points and grabbed a game-high eight rebounds for the Golden Eagles (3-13, 1-4 OVC). Vivian Nwosu finished with 14 points.

Drake added six rebounds, five steals and four assists to her totals. Cherie White finished with 14 points and six rebounds for EKU. Colette Cole added 10 points and five boards. Sarah Fraser-Jones contributed nine assists, the most by a Lady Colonel this season.

Cole scored Eastern’s first eight points, on a pair of three-pointers and a baseline jumper. Her trey at the 16:15 mark gave the Lady Colonels an 8-5 lead.

Drake’s driving lay-up and free throw was part of a 9-0 EKU run. Back-to-back baskets by Jasmine Lewin and White capped the run, forced a TTU timeout and gave EKU a 10 point lead, 17-7, with 12:39 to play in the first half.

A three-pointer by Meagan Lyons cut the Tech deficit to seven but a trey and a jumper by Drake pushed Eastern Kentucky ahead by 14, 24-10, with 8:27 before intermission.

A 14-3 run by the Golden Eagles late in the first half cut the deficit to three. Five different players contributed to the run. White knocked down a pair of jumpers. A three by Allison Price capped off the run and cut the Lady Colonel lead to 27-24 with 3:19 remaining in the opening half.

Drake’s 25-foot three-pointer at the buzzer sent Eastern to the locker room in front by six, 35-29. The freshman finished the first half with 18 points.

Eastern Kentucky out-rebounded Tech 19-12 in the first half, but TTU held an 11-3 advantage in points off turnovers.

A 10-3 run by the Golden Eagles to start the second half erased the EKU lead. White and Nwosu accounted for all 10 points. Consecutive baskets by White gave TTU its first lead of the game, 39-38, with 17:44 left in the game.

The Lady Colonels answered with a run of their own, scoring nine straight points to grab a 47-39 advantage. Five different players contributed to the run. Sonjia Hoston’s lay-up capped it off with 13:46 remaining to play. Hoston’s lay-up at the 11:19 mark stretched the run to 13-2 and put Eastern back on top by double digits, 51-41.

A pair of free throws by Tacarra Hayes with 9:33 left in the game snapped a scoring drought for the Golden Eagles. TTU had scored only two points over an 8:10 time span before Hayes converted the free throws to cut the deficit to 52-43.

White’s free throw for Tech cut the EKU lead to seven, with 8:49 to play, but the Golden Eagles would get no closer. Lewin’s bucket at the 5:54 mark put the Lady Colonels back on top by 12, 56-44. Eastern’s White knocked down a three-pointer as the shot clock expired to push the lead to 13, 61-48, with just over three minutes left to play.

Drake’s three-pointer with 1:05 to go gave Eastern Kentucky its largest lead of 18 points, 66-48.

Eastern shot 44.2 percent (23-for-52) for the game. Tennessee Tech made 41.7 percent (20-for-48) of its shots. EKU held a 39-24 rebounding edge and both teams committed 19 turnovers.

The Lady Colonels will play their next four games on the road beginning Thursday at Eastern Illinois. Tip-off against the Panthers is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET.