Eaglettes return home looking for victory number 700

By TTU Sports Information

December 17, 2002

Home to face the Bulldogs...
The Tennessee Tech Golden Eaglettes come home for a Tuesday night game against the UNC Asheville Lady Bulldogs after spending 22 days away from Eblen Center...Tech’s last home game was way back on November 25th against Middle Tennessee...Tech fell by 31 points at 20th ranked University of Georgia last Saturday after battling to a 36-36 tie at halftime...The Eaglettes bring a 2-3 overall record into the game and could notch the program’s 700th all-time victory...UNC Ashville lost a 72-66 contest at Belmont Saturday, and brings a 2-4 overall mark into the evening’s action...Tech owns a 3- 0 lead in the series with UNCA, including an 89-46 win a year ago in North Carolina... The youthful Golden Eaglette starting lineup features four freshmen and one sophomore...

Setting up the game...
Tech hopes to stay unbeaten against UNC-Asheville...The Lady Bulldogs have already won two games this year after going 1-27 a year ago...UNCA is under the direction of first-year coach Betsy Blose...With a “W” Tech would become only the seventh Division I women’s basketball program to notch 700 all-time victories...

Series Notes...
TECH VS. UNC ASHEVILLE -- The Golden Eaglettes have won all three previous meetings with the UNC Asheville Lady Bulldogs, all coming during the past three years. Tech claimed the first meeting, 73-69, in UNCA’s Justice Center during the 1999-2000 season. The next year it was an 80-59 Golden Eaglette victory in Cookeville, and last year Tech claimed an 86-49 decision in Asheville.

Last Time vs. UNCA
The Tech starters scored 44 points and the bench added 45 points as everybody contributed to an 86-49 victory in North Carolina in December. Janet Holt topped Tech with 21 points on 10-of-14 shooting in 22 minutes of action. Jennifer Simpson saw her first action as an Eaglette after sitting out the first month, and she contributed four points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals in 19 minutes. UNCA was led by Jessica Guarneri with 11 points and five rebounds, while Lindsey Roche added eight points and Sherrie Daniels scored seven. Tech owned a 43-29 edge in rebounds, shot 56 percent from the field and had only nine turnovers.

About UNCA
UNC Asheville is led by freshman guard Kristal Hood, averaging 14.6 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. Junior forward Shantell Waiters is averaging 13 points and a team-leading 9.4 rebounds, and 6-3 junior center Tonisha Jackson adds 9.6 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. Hood and Waiters are also tied for the team lead in assists. Coach Becky Blose came to UNC Asheville after seven seasons at Shepherd College, where her teams were 93-48 over the past five seasons. In 1999-2000, she led the team to a 20-7 mark and led the league in team defense. Last year’s squad was 19-9 under Blose’s guidance. A James Madison University graduate, Blose is trying to rebuild a program which hit a low point a year ago. The Lady Bulldogs were 1-27 overall and 1-11 in the Big South Conference.