ALGOOD, Tenn. (Interstat) — The Tennessee Tech women’s basketball team, riding a strong start to the season, will host the struggling Samford Bulldogs on Thursday afternoon at Eblen Center. The Golden Eagles (5-1) have won five of their first six games, most recently a 68-55 home victory over Lipscomb on Monday. Reghan Grimes (15 points), Reagan Hurst (18 points) and Chloe Larry (12 points) led a balanced scoring effort in that win. Tennessee Tech’s only loss came on the road against then-Southern California. Samford (4-6) looks to rebound from a lopsided 77-40 road loss at Minnesota on Monday. The Bulldogs have played eight of their first 10 games away from home. Avary Brewer scored 17 points in the loss to the Golden Gophers, the team’s fourth defeat in its last five contests. The Bulldogs’ offense has been inconsistent, failing to reach 50 points in four games this season. They will face a Tennessee Tech defense that has held three of its six opponents under 55 points. Thursday’s non-conference matchup is the final tune-up for Tennessee Tech before it hosts Stephens College on Dec. 13. Samford returns home to face North Alabama on Sunday.