Box Score
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Eastern Kentucky took a 13-point lead midway through the first half, but Tennessee Tech controlled the remainder of the game and won 82-64 on Saturday. The Golden Eagles (5-18, 3-9 OVC) used a 16-2 run early in the second half to take the lead for good. Freshman Kayla Drake led the Lady Colonels (6-15, 3-9 OVC) with 23 points.
Blair Bowens scored a game-best 27 points for TTU. Meagan Lyons added 15 points. Nadia Mossong contributed 18 points and nine rebounds for Eastern.
EKU out-rebounded Tech by 10, but committed 22 turnovers while forcing only 14. The Golden Eagles scored 28 points at the free throw line on 31 attempts. Eastern went 12-for-18 from the line.
The two teams began the game hot from three-point range, combining for eight three-pointers in the first 5:23 of the game. The first three field goals were from three-point land. Drake and Mossong connected on a pair of treys for a 6-0 Lady Colonel lead. Tacarra Hayes cut the deficit in half for the Golden Eagles with a triple at the 17:42 mark of the first half.
After a bucket by Tech, Drake knocked down two more three’s and Mossong added another to give EKU five straight three-pointers to start the game. A pair of free throws by Drake with 14:02 remaining in the opening half snapped the Lady Colonel three-point scoring streak and put the visitors in front 17-8.
Three of Tennessee Tech’s first four baskets were from three-point range. Following Hayes’ second trey, Eastern Kentucky rolled off seven unanswered to go on top by 13, 24-11.
The Lady Colonels suffered through a scoring drought that lasted more than four minutes, allowing six straight points by Vivian Nwosu to cut the lead to seven, 24-17, with 7:43 to play before intermission. Including Nwosu’s six points, TTU ended the half on a 21-7 run.
Five straight points by Bowens, including a three-pointer with 1:16 left in the first half, completed the Golden Eagle comeback, giving the home team its first lead, 30-29. Tech maintained a one-point margin at the break.
Eastern opened the second half with a three-pointer by Mossong to take a two-point lead, 34-32, but Tennessee Tech went on a 16-2 run to build a 12-point lead, 50-38, with 14:39 left in the game.
The Lady Colonels scored six straight points midway through the second half to close the gap to six, 53-47. However, TTU answered with another run, this time scoring eight unanswered, to go in front by 14, 61-47, with 7:44 remaining. EKU never got closer than 10 points the rest of the game.
Eastern Kentucky will conclude its two-game road trip on Saturday with a 3 p.m. ET game at Jacksonville State in Jacksonville, Ala.
