March Madness is officially underway in women’s college basketball, as Tennessee Tech became the first school in the nation to punch its ticket to the big dance.
The Golden Eagles (22–9) clinched a 2023 NCAA tournament berth on Saturday after defeating Little Rock, 54–46, to win the Ohio Valley Conference championship. The victory secured the school’s first trip to the NCAA tournament since 2000 and its 11th berth all-time.
Behind a smothering defensive effort, No. 3 seed TTU dominated top-seeded Little Rock—which won both the teams’ regular-season matchups—for much of the contest en route to earning a 10th conference title. The Golden Eagles held the Trojans to just 34% shooting from the field, including 0-of-6 from beyond the arc, and led by as many as 12 points in the second half after taking a 21–15 lead into halftime.
Golden Eagles forward Kiera Hill and guards Jada Guinn and Reghan Grimes each scored in double figures to pace the team to victory. Hill, a junior college transfer, notched her first double-double of the year with a 14-point, 10-rebound effort off the bench while Guinn and Grimes each added 12 and 10 points, respectively. Senior guard Maaliya Owens, TTU’s leading scorer (14.7 ppg) also chipped in eight points.
In addition to clinching a spot in March Madness, TTU also earned a measure of revenge over Little Rock after losing to the school twice during the regular season. The Golden Eagles earned a rematch against the Trojans after advancing to Saturday’s title game with wins over SIU-Edwardsville and Eastern Illinois.
As for Little Rock (21–10), 2023 OVC Player of the Year Sali Kourouma, who led the team and OVC in scoring (17.2 ppg), finished with just six points in 12 minutes before fouling out late in the game. Prior to Saturday’s loss, which snapped a 13-game winning streak, the Trojans were 18–0 in games with Kourouma in the lineup.
With Saturday’s title game now behind them, TTU can now begin the agonizing process of waiting until Selection Sunday on March 12 to find out their next opponent.
