By Nate Perry, TTU Sports Information
WICHITA, Kan. – The turnover counts were high, the shooting percentages were low, and the game play was physical from start to finish, but when the Tennessee Tech women's basketball team had to buckle down in the clutch, it did just that, and was rewarded with a 55-45 road victory over Wichita State.
"For our team to go on the road and shoot 35 percent from the floor, 20 percent from (three-point range), 67 percent from the free throw line, and still find a way to win says a lot about the toughness and growth of this basketball team," said coach Kim Rosamond. "I just thought it was a tough, gutsy effort."
The victory is Tech's first over a team from the American Athletic Conference since the Golden Eagles took down the same Wichita State program, 54-48, back on December 22, 2015.
It also gives TTU a pair of true road victories on the young season, a feat that took until February of the 2017-18 campaign. For Rosamond, it stands as yet another sign of the tremendous growth her team has experienced.
"Last year, this would have been a game where our young basketball team would not have known how to finish after Wichita's big run in the fourth quarter," said Rosamond. "To have an answer for that run today, and close the game the way we did, I think says a lot about this team's maturity."
Freshman forward Taylor Lamb gave Tech a spark off the bench early in the game, and evolved into the main storyline, as she scored six points in the first quarter, and totaled a career-high 17 on a perfect 7-of-7 from the floor.
It was the first career double-digit scoring output for Lamb, who seemed to channel the same scoring ability that made her a three-time finalist for Miss Basketball of Tennessee as a prep star.
"I think our fans got a glimpse of who Taylor Lamb is tonight," Rosamond said. "That's the Taylor Lamb we recruited. She's a winner, and she's done nothing but win in her career. To see her have the poise and the composure that she had tonight was really exciting."
"And more than that, she wanted the ball. When we were struggling to score, she wanted the basketball, and I think that is a special trait for a freshman to have."
Lacy Cantrell helped Lamb form a dominant post presence in that first quarter, when she scored all seven of her points, and combined with her freshman counterpart for 13 of TTU's 14 opening-period tallies.
Turnovers had a major impact on the game as well, as the two teams combined for 53. Tech's defense stood tall in the first half, as it forced 14 Wichita turnovers and picked up seven steals. On the flipside, WSU ratcheted up its pressure in the second half, as it forced the Golden Eagles into several miscues with its intense full-court zone defense.
The strongest testament to the Tech defense on Sunday was its effort in the third quarter. After Wichita got a layup within the first 30 seconds, Rosamond's group clenched like a bear trap, holding the Shockers without a field goal for the final 9-minutes, 33-seconds of the frame.
"We've talked a ton about what it takes to win on the road," Rosamond said. "There are things you can't control on the road. You can't control how many shots you make, or the officiating, or the crowd, but you can control what you do on the defensive end. Every timeout, we talked about what we could do defensively, and I think that stretch in the third quarter was a very strong representation of our focus in that area."
Then, with TTU out to its biggest lead of the contest, 17 points, the momentum flipped like a light switch with six minutes to go. The Wichita pressure spawned a 12-0 Shocker run, which made it a 48-43 game with just under three minutes left.
Rosamond then called a timeout to rally her troops, which proved to be the right decision.
Sophomore Abby Buckner nailed a three-pointer one minute later that pushed the lead back to eight, and Kentoria Alexander drew a player control foul on the other end to get the ball back. That set up a Jordan Brock triple – her first field goal of the game – with one minute left that proved to be the dagger in the heart for WSU.
Alexander led the rest of the offensive contributors for the Purple and Gold, as she stuffed the stat sheet with five points, a team-high nine rebounds, three assists and three steals.
Buckner chipped in six points and two assists; Kesha Brady had six points and five rebounds; Brock scored five points with three assists; Mackenzie Coleman netted four points in her first significant minutes of the season; Akia Harris put up three points, a team-high five assists, three rebounds and three steals; and Anacia Wilkinson scored two points and ripped down eight boards.
"What excites me most about this team is they don't care who's scoring the points or who's getting the ball, all they want to do is win. They're willing to do whatever it takes to help us do that. When you have that attitude, that connection on a basketball team, it allows you to do some special things."
Tennessee Tech will wrap its four-game road trip against Southeastern Conference member Arkansas on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. CT.
Photo courtesy of Wichita State Strategic Communications
