By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The Tennessee Tech women's basketball team cut the nets down in Evansville in March at the Ford Center. As head coach Kim Rosamond returned with graduate standout Maaliya Owens on Tuesday for Ohio Valley Conference Basketball Media Day, it wasn't to reminisce on the past, it was to focus on the task ahead of them.
While the Tech women are picked to win the OVC for the second straight season, the thought on their mind is simple – it's time to get down to business.
In addition to the Golden Eagles getting the nod from the league voters, consisting of the women's basketball coaches and sports information contacts, graduate guard Owens was also named the conference's Preseason Player of the Year and senior forward Anna Walker was named to the Preseason All-OVC team.
To say 2022-23 was an eventful season for the Golden Eagles is definitely an understatement – Tech won its 1,000th game in program history and continues to stand 21st nationally in total victories with some incredibly elite company. Rosamond won her 100th game with the Golden Eagles and currently has 115 to her credit.
Even though the regular-season run saw Tech finish third in the standings, that did not faze the Golden Eagles as they topped SIUE 76-62 in the quarterfinals, rallied back from a 10-point, fourth-quarter deficit to beat No. 2 seed Eastern Illinois in the semis, then topped regular-season champion Little Rock – who only lost once in the OVC regular season – 54-46.
With the victory, Tech ended a 23-year drought and appeared in their 11th NCAA Tournament, the first since 2000, and won their first NCAA Tournament game since 1990 – the fourth for Tech all-time and the eighth for the entire OVC – as they defeated Monmouth 79-69 in the First Four, before a showdown with top-seeded Indiana.
It's good to reflect on the accomplishments, but the mindset for the Golden Eagles is forward-facing. It's all about the season to come, not on the season that was.
With that in mind, there's a lot for the Golden Eagles to be excited about. Tech returns nine players on the 12-deep roster for 2023-24, including six that saw a start last season.
Owens' numbers were remarkable, leading Tech with a 14.9-point scoring average and breaking the Golden Eagle single-season record in 3-pointers with 92 to top Blair Bowens and assistant coach Allison Clark's mark of 86. Owens finished the year shooting .407 from the floor, .409 from 3-point range and .870 at the free-throw line with 476 points, 92 rebounds, 68 assists, 31 steals and 12 blocks.
Walker averaged 9.8 points and 5.1 rebounds for the Golden Eagles in 2022-23. An OVC All-Tournament selection, she shot .486 from the field, .327 from 3-point range and .770 at the line as she recorded 303 points, pulled down 157 rebounds, had 30 assists, blocked 25 shots and stole the ball 25 times.
In addition to the nine returning players to the squad, the Golden Eagles also have three exciting newcomers with graduate transfers Yaubryon Chambers from Vanderbilt and Maddie Kellione from Transylania, as well as true freshman Megan Aulbert.
Chambers averaged 4.5 points and 4.6 rebounds per game for the Commodores against a challenging Southeastern Conference schedule, picking up double-digit scoring nights against Western Kentucky, Northern Iowa and Texas A&M, while recording a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds against Lipscomb.
Kellione led Transylvania to a Division III national championship and a perfect 33-0 season as she ranked 26th in the country in scoring with a 15.3 average and 13th in assists at 4.4 per game. She was the D-III national championship MVP and a WBCA First-Team All-American selection.
Aulbert comes to Tech following a highly-decorated career at Lutheran High in St. Louis, where she was a three-sport athlete and was only the second player in school history to score over 1,000 points and collect 600 rebounds.
Season tickets for Tennessee Tech women's basketball are on sale now – call (931) 372-3940, visit the Hooper Eblen Center ticket office or order online at TTUsports.com.
Photo | Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
