Golden Eagles celebrate renaissance season, name team award winners at year-end banquet

Posted: Apr 18, 2019

By Nate Perry, TTU Sports Information

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Inside a sold-out, jam-packed and lavishly decorated banquet hall at Cookeville's Quality Inn, family members, ardent supporters and Tennessee Tech Athletics staff joined the Golden Eagle women's basketball team to celebrate its exciting, revitalizing 2018-19 season, and reflect on the numerous accomplishments therein.

Following a high-energy, wedding-style introduction of each team member, an invocation from senior forward Lacy Cantrell and a season recap from head coach Kim Rosamond, the event moved to its highly-anticipated awards presentation segment.

Sophomore guard Megan Clark claimed the first award of the evening, the Community Service Award, which is given to the Golden Eagle who accumulates the most community service hours over the course of the year. Clark, a Tampa native, logged more than 50 hours as a volunteer to earn her title.

The second honor, the Most Outstanding Scholar Athlete, went to sophomore guard Abby Buckner, who owns the highest cumulative grade point average on the team, 3.73, while in pursuit of her degree in pre-occupational therapy.

Buckner would then come right back up to the podium to accept the Ed and Wanda Jared Family Athletics Endowment, an award voted on by the players to recognize an individual for her outstanding leadership qualities. float; right

Named for Ed and Wanda Jared, two Tech alumni who have been avid supporters of the university and its athletics department, the distinction is normally reserved for a rising team leader following her junior season. Tabbed by Kim Rosamond as the team's "glue" on several occasions, Buckner's recognition as a sophomore speaks volumes of her abilities as a young standard-bearer.

The John P. Hendrix Leadership Award was conferred upon senior guard Kentoria Alexander. A second-year transfer from Walters State Community College, Alexander was chosen as the recipient by the coaching staff because of her exceptional leadership.

After averaging 13.5 minutes, 1.7 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game in her first season at TTU, the Tullahoma native exploded for marks of 30.2 minutes, 9.3 points, 6.2 rebounds and 4.1 helpers per contest this year.

The S.O.A.R. Award, a new addition to the list of accolades at this year's celebration, was given to redshirt junior forward Anacia Wilkinson. The honor goes to the player who most accurately personifies the four elements of the team's S.O.A.R. mentality – Serving others, Owning it, Acquiring knowledge and Responding positively – and reflects the culture of the team in everything she does.

To close out the awards portion, Lacy Cantrell was selected for the prestigious Frank Porter Athletic Award, the top honor within the Tennessee Tech women's basketball program. Honoring longtime Tech women's hoops patron Frank Porter, the accolade was bestowed upon Cantrell for her contributions to the program, the university and the community, as well as her academic achievements, sportsmanlike conduct and poise on and off the court. float; left

Cantrell was presented with a commemorative Revere glass bowl at the banquet, and, along with Buckner, will have her name engraved on a plaque in the Eblen Center for her respective distinction.

Following the awards portion, TTU Director of Athletics Mark Wilson concluded the event with a final salute to the team's body of work.

With heartfelt gratitude, the Tennessee Tech women's basketball program would like to thank Quality Inn General Manager William Mattingly and Pamela Rogers for their accommodations and sponsorship of the 2019 annual banquet.

Below is a complete breakdown of the resume, statistical ranks and magical moments produced by the 2018-19 Golden Eagles, along with the program's multi-faceted growth from a season ago.

GENERAL

Win Increase: plus-15 increase in wins ended up being the third-best in the nation (Arizona: +18, VCU: plus-17).
Overall Wins: 22 overall wins are the most since 2010-11.
Conference Wins: 12 Ohio Valley Conference wins are the most since 2012-13.
Conference Finish: Placing fourth in the OVC was the program's highest finish since 2012-13.
Home Wins: 12 home wins is the most since 2004-05.
Road Wins: Nine road wins is the most since 2010-11.
Final RPI: 146
Beat two teams from inside the top 75 of the RPI (Belmont: 47, Middle Tennessee: 66).
Beat both OVC Tournament finalists on the road during the regular season (Belmont, UT Martin).
Led the OVC in home attendance (1,817 fans per home game).

FIRST TIME SINCE…

Beat Belmont for the first time since March 8, 2013. (Snapped streak of 10 consecutive losses).
Beat Middle Tennessee for the first time since December 9, 2004. (Snapped streak of 13 consecutive losses).
Beat Belmont, MTSU and UT Martin in the same season for the first time since 1979-80 season.
Started 6-0 in conference play for the first time since 2000-01.
Launched the program's first 9-game winning streak since 2010-11.
OVC Tournament: First OVC Tournament berth since 2017.
- First OVC Tournament win since 2013.
National Postseason: First national postseason bid since 2012.
- First national postseason win since 2006.

AWARDS

Kim Rosamond – OVC Coach of the Year
Jordan Brock – First Team All-OVC
Kentoria Alexander – 2019 Golden Wings Breakthrough Female Athlete of the Year
Kesha Brady – 2019 Golden Wings Comeback Athlete of the Year
Akia Harris – 2019 Golden Wings Inspiration Award winner
Jordan Brock – OVC Player of the Week (Jan. 14).

TEAM STATISTICAL RANKS

NATIONAL RANKS

Ranked eighth in Division I in free-throw percentage: 77.6%.
- 77.6% is the third-best team percentage in school history.
Ranked 11^th in free throws made: 503.
Ranked 48^th in blocked shots: 143.
- 143 is second-most in a season in school history.
Ranked 55^th in 3-pointers made: 241.
- 241 is second-most in a season in school history.
Ranked 83^rd in assists: 472.

float; left OVC RANKS

Ranked first in free-throw percentage: 77.6%.
Ranked second in 3-point field goal percentage: 34.9%.
Ranked third in scoring defense: 64.0 points allowed per game.
Ranked third in 3-point field goal percentage defense: 29.4%.
Ranked fourth in scoring offense: 69.6 points per game.
Ranked fourth in scoring margin: +5.6 points per game.
Ranked fourth in assists: 14.3 per game.
Ranked fourth in rebounding defense: 36.2 rebounds allowed per game.

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICAL RANKS

NATIONAL RANKS

Anacia Wilkinson finished eighth in Division I with 92 blocked shots on the year.
- Shattered Tech's record for blocks in a season by more than 30 blocks.
Anacia Wilkinson finished 10^th in blocks per game: 2.79.
- Wilkinson currently holds the Tech record for career blocks per game: 1.83.
- Tied the school record for blocks in a game with nine against Tennessee State on January 16.
Kesha Brady finished 35^th in Division I in free-throw percentage: 85.3 percent.
- 85.3 percent is sixth-best in school history.

OVC RANKS

Anacia Wilkinson ranked 1^st in blocked shots: 92
- 21 more than anyone else in the league.
Anacia Wilkinson ranked third in field goal percentage: 50.0 percent.
Akia Harris ranked third in assists per game: 4.5.
Kentoria Alexander ranked third in 3-point field goal percentage: 43.2 percent.
Jordan Brock ranked third in 3-point field goal percentage among players with at least 150 attempts: 38.2 percent.
Jordan Brock ranked third in free-throw percentage: 86.8 percent (did not meet minimum attempts requirement for NCAA ranking [66-of-76]).
- 86.8 percent is the second-best percentage in school history.
Kesha Brady ranked fourth in free-throw percentage: 85.3 percent.
Jordan Brock ranked fourth in 3-pointers made: 79.
- 79 triples in a season is the fifth-most in Tech history.
Akia Harris ranked fourth in assist-to-turnover ratio: 2.0.
Kentoria Alexander ranked in the top 15 in the OVC in six statistical categories: rebounds per game (6.2), defensive rebounds (146), 3-point field goal percentage (.432), assists per game (4.1), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.6) and minutes per game (30.2).

GROWTH FROM 2017-18 SEASON

Improved scoring offense by 9.4 points per game (60.2 ppg to 69.6 ppg).
Improved team free-throw shooting by 7.1 percent (70.5% to 77.6%).
Attempted 119 more free throws in 20181-19 (529 to 648).
Reduced turnovers by 3.8 per game (18.2 to 14.4 per game).
Increased rebounding by 3.6 per game (33.9 to 37.5 per game).
- Grabbed 90 more offensive in 2018-19 (317 to 407).
Improved 3-point shooting by 3.6 percent (31.3% to 34.9%).
Had 56 more blocked shots in 2018-19 (87 to 143).
Lowered opponent field goal percentage by 3.2 percent (42.8% to 39.6%).
Increased home attendance by 432 fans per game (1,385 to 1,817).

SEASON HIGHLIGHTS/MOMENTS

Jordan Brock scores 33 points on 10-of-17 shooting and 8-of-15 from 3-point range against Eastern Illinois on Jan. 12.
- Brock was the only player in the conference to make eight 3-pointers in a game this year.
- The 33 points was the second-highest single-game output in the OVC this year.
Anacia Wilkinson matches the school record for blocks with nine, and finishes one block short of a triple-double against Tennessee State on Jan. 16.
Wilkinson breaks the single-season blocks record with four blocks against Murray State on Feb. 2.
Jordan Brock scores in double figures in 11 straight games from December 21 to January 31.
Abby Buckner scores a career-high 18 points on 6-of-10 shooting and 5-of-8 from 3-point range in the historic win at Belmont.
- The victory snapped BU's 47-game winning streak against OVC opponents.
Mackenzie Coleman goes for a career-high 26 points on 11-of-13 shooting and 4-of-5 from 3-point range against UT Martin on February 9. Coleman also grabbed 10 rebounds for a double-double, and led the team with five blocks.
Kesha Brady goes for a career-high 23 points with nine rebounds at UT Martin.