With four games left in the season, Eastern women’s basketball sits alone in second place in the Ohio Valley Conference with a record of 9-5 in conference play.
Eastern’s next two games are away games against Tennessee State University and Tennessee Tech University. Eastern has gone 2-0 against these teams this season, both of the games being at home.
Eastern’s first opponent, TSU, is 5-2 at home in conference play, and the last time the team played Eastern, TSU lost 71-67 in overtime. In that game, junior forward Macy McGlone had 30 points and a season-high 19 rebounds.
TSU’s leading scorer is senior guard Sanaa’ St. Andre who averages 15.3 points per game. When TSU last played Eastern, St. Andre had 18 points.
The team’s leading rebounder is junior forward Lyric Cole, averaging 7.5 rebounds a game. When she played against Eastern, she had nine.
Sophomore guard Zyion Shannon is someone to watch in this game. She has averaged 21 points in the last six games, including 26 in her last game and 32 against Lindenwood University. She also shot 49% from the field in those games.
TSU is also fighting for a spot in the OVC playoffs because they are tied with Southeast Missouri State University for eighth place in the conference. Only the top eight teams will make the OVC playoffs.
Eastern’s second opponent, Tennessee Tech, is one spot behind Eastern in the OVC standings. The team has also won its last four games, its last two being at home.
Tennessee Tech has struggled at home, being 6-6 at home compared to 6-5 away, but has won its last two games at home. Tennessee Tech also plays last-place Southern Illinois University Edwardsville at home before Eastern, which could add to its win streak.
The last time the Panthers played Tennessee Tech, they won 73-71 off a game-winning layup from McGlone.
Tennessee Tech’s leading scorer is graduate guard Maaliya Owens with an average of 15.4 points per game. The last time she played Eastern, she scored 20 points.
Tennessee Tech’s leading rebounders are sophomore guard Reghan Grimes with 5.5 a game and senior guard Peyton Carter with 5.1 a game. When they last played Eastern, Grimes had seven rebounds and Carter had four.
Senior forward Anna Walker is someone to watch for this game. She has averaged 13.1 points per game, including 17 points against TSU and 14 points against Western Illinois University. During this stretch, she shot 50.6% from the field.
Eastern’s leader in points and rebounds is McGlone with 17.9 points and 11.9 rebounds a game. Junior Miah Monahan is second in scoring with 11.5 points per game.
Junior guard Taris Thorton is someone to watch out for in the upcoming games. She has scored double-digit points in the last four games with her season-high of 16 coming in the last game against Lindenwood.
Luther Yoder can be reached at 581-2812 or at densportsdesk@gmail.com.
