GAMEDAY
The Tennessee State University women's basketball team will return to action for the first time in eight days with a conference match-up against crosstown rival Belmont University on Thursday. Game time for the OVC opener is slated for 6:30 p.m. in the Curb Event Center. 
 
THE LADY TIGERS AT A GLANCE
Tennessee State is coming off hard-fought loss to Georgia State at home last Wednesday. The Lady Tigers fell to the Panthers 88-83 in overtime and moved to 0-2 on the season.
 
The TSU seniors have been the early leaders for the squad. After two games, Taylor Roberts is leading the team in scoring with 21.5 ppg while Andreana Wrister is turning in 18.5 ppg. Jaden Wrightsell is almost averaging a double-double with 12.5 ppg and 9.5 rpg. 
 
TSU (0-2) is averaging 72.0 points per game while shooting 35.6 percent from the field. The Lady Tigers lead the OVC in steals (10.0 spg) and offensive rebounds (16.5 rpg) while ranking second in turnover margin (+3.0). TSU returned six letterwinners from last season including three starters and added seven newcomers to the roster, including six freshmen and one junior college transfer.
 
The Lady Tigers are lead by first year head coach Ty Evans.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Tennessee State played hard but fell to Georgia State, 88-83, in overtime. The Lady Tigers had control of the game early and led by as many as 14 in the first half but saw the lead slip away early in the third quarter. The teams battled the rest of the way and GSU outscored TSU 12-7 in the extra period. Taylor Roberts led TSU with 28 points to go with eight rebounds while Andreana Wrister scored a career-high 20 points. Jaden Wrightsell notched her 11th career double-double of 13 points and 11 rebounds. Breannah McCullah also posted a career-high 10 points to round out the double-digit scorers.
 
ABOUT THE OPPONENT
Belmont opened the season with a loss at Kentucky before defeating Middle Tennessee 70-64 to move to 1-1 on the season. The Bruins' game versus Auburn originally scheduled for Tuesday night was postponed. Belmont was predicted to finish second in the 2020-21 Ohio Valley Conference race. BU has won 20 straight in the Curb Event Center and went 13-0 at home last season.
 
LAST TIME THEY MET
TSU fell to BU, 84-51, in the final game of last season. TSU got outscored in the first three quarters but nearly matched Belmont point-for-point in the fourth period. The deficit, however, proved too much to overcome. Jaden Wrightsell recorded 10 points and four steals while Jasmine Broner pulled down a team-best five rebounds.
 
SERIES INFORMATION
TSU will meet Belmont for the 47th time in the series history with the Bruins leading, 35-11. BU has won 11 straight. The last TSU win was a 70-53 victory in the Curb Event Center on Feb. 28, 2015. 
 
COVERAGE
The game will be available to watch on ESPN+ while the radio broadcast will be streamed on the Big Blue Sports Network. Live stats will be available on Statbroadcast.com Follow @tsuladytigers on Twitter and Instagram for updates.
 
UP NEXT
Tennessee State will return to action on Sunday, Dec. 13 at Lipscomb. Tip-off is slated for 2:00 p.m. in Allen Arena.