ALGOOD, Tenn. (Interstat) — The Tennessee Tech women’s basketball team used a dominant defensive performance and a balanced offensive attack to avenge a loss from earlier in the month, rolling to a 72-47 victory over Arkansas-Little Rock on Saturday at Eblen Center.

The Golden Eagles, who fell 51-44 at Little Rock on Jan. 1, flipped the script completely, holding the Trojans to a season-low in points and their worst shooting performance of the year. Arkansas-Little Rock managed just 17 field goals on 60 attempts, a frigid 28.3 percent from the floor, and committed 14 turnovers.

Tennessee Tech improved to 11-8 overall, while Arkansas-Little Rock dropped to 10-11.

The most important part of the game was Tennessee Tech’s immediate and sustained defensive pressure, which completely stifled the Trojans from the opening tip. Arkansas-Little Rock did not score its first points until a Jordan Holman 3-pointer with 7:29 remaining in the first quarter, by which time the Golden Eagles had already established a rhythm. That set the tone for a half where the Trojans shot 8 of 30 and went into the break trailing 25-16. Tennessee Tech’s defense never relented, holding Little Rock to single-digit scoring in both the first and third quarters.

The Golden Eagles were efficient on offense, scoring 72 points on just 67 possessions for an offensive rating of 106.7. They outscored the Trojans 32-14 in the paint and converted 12 points off turnovers. Tennessee Tech also controlled the glass, grabbing 16 offensive rebounds to Little Rock’s 10.

Chloe Larry led all scorers with 17 points and added five assists for Tennessee Tech. Amaya Thomas recorded a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds, while LaReesha Cawthorn also posted a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds. Reagan Hurst contributed 12 points and Reghan Grimes filled the stat sheet with eight points, seven rebounds and three assists.

For Arkansas-Little Rock, which finished with an offensive rating of just 64.8, no player reached double figures. Taelor Coxford came off the bench to lead the team with seven points and five rebounds. Jordan Holman added eight points and Alaina Payne had four points, four rebounds and three assists.

The game was effectively decided by the end of the third quarter. After leading by nine at halftime, Tennessee Tech opened the second half with a 13-4 run, capped by a Reghan Grimes jumper that forced a Little Rock timeout with 7:11 left in the period and the Golden Eagles ahead 38-20. The Trojans never cut the deficit below 15 points the rest of the way.

Tennessee Tech’s depth was also a factor, with reserves Amaya Redd adding seven points and five rebounds and Amelia Pfeiffer pulling down seven rebounds and blocking two shots.

The victory gives Tennessee Tech momentum heading into a road game at Tennessee State on Monday. Arkansas-Little Rock will look to regroup when it travels to face Tennessee-Martin on Tuesday.