NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: FIRST ROUND - TENNESSEE TECH VS INDIANA

March 18, 2023

Kim Rosamond

Jada Guinn

Maaliya Owens

Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall

Tennessee Tech Red Raiders

Media Conference

Indiana 77, Tennessee Tech 47

KIM ROSAMOND: Unbelievably proud of our team, our student-athletes, what they have been able to accomplish this season. It was a record-breaking season for us. We have been so close over the last five years and we just kept hitting our head on the glass ceiling.

These two young women sitting with me and the group of young women in that locker room busted through that ceiling. We don't plan on going back. I'm just thankful for them and what they've done for Tennessee Tech women's basketball and our university. It's been an unbelievable ride.

I also want to credit Coach Moren and Indiana. What a tremendous basketball team they have. Obviously they were without Holmes today. I thought Berger was exceptional. I thought she led in every way and just was tremendous, especially in the first half.

What an unbelievable atmosphere to play in. This is something we're going to build at Tennessee Tech. I talked with Teri right before the tip about that.

But I just want to credit what a great, great fan base, what an unbelievable atmosphere, and we are just really proud of what our team has been able to accomplish.

Disappointed that we weren't able to have a different outcome today, but that takes nothing away from what this group of young women have been able to accomplish.

Q. Coach, just to watch your team play over the last couple of days, it just seems like they enjoy the game and enjoy each other so much. This I guess would be for the student-athletes. Ladies, just what does it mean for you to get Tennessee Tech to this stage and play in this type of environment?

MAALIYA OWENS: I think obviously this is something that we've been working on all season. It's what you talk about from the moment that the preseason starts in September. So I think that one thing we just really do love each other, like you said. This really is a family.

Off the court we're super close, and I think it's hard to find that even outside of basketball that we choose to hang out with each another even with as many hours as we spend with basketball.

These are literally my sisters. I'm away from home and I think a lot people on our team feel that. Regardless of the outcome today, I know that like I have sisters for life.

So to be able to do that with them is something that was really important to me.

JADA GUINN: I also think it means a lot for us. I know we may not have won today, but I think we won in a lot of different areas. I think we set the path for what Tennessee Tech basketball needs to continue to be. It was a great opportunity just for us to get to make it here and play in this environment.

I'm just grateful for it.

Q. For both of you, the score was 22-22 at one point. You guys came out at a high octane pace and hitting threes. What changed? What went in the wrong direction after that?

MAALIYA OWENS: I think they kind of got out in transition and got on a run. We had a couple breakdowns with stopping the ball in transition and they got a couple layups, and that gave them confidence they need to be more efficient in the half court.

Then I think obviously our shots didn't go down as much as they did in the first, second quarters. So I think after the lead got a little bit too big it kind of deflated us a little bit.

JADA GUINN: I would say our transition D was our big things and we kind of got away from that. When you're getting out in transition good scoring layups, that gives you confidence. We let them get too much confidence having those easy layups.

Q. Maaliya, question in regards to your hot shooting today. You started out and found your range on the three-point shooting, were pretty successful, carried over in both halves. Just thoughts as you're on the road playing in an environment like this? This is the big stage, March Madness.

MAALIYA OWENS: Yes, sir. I think something that's just -- we have been talking about is just playing our game, and nothing is changed even though the environment may change, teams may change.

Just being ourselves, and I think all season I just tried to go out and just play my game and play the way I know how to play. Today wasn't any different.

Even though we were playing the No. 1 team, I think I just kind of went out there and was like, you know what in where are on the big stage, why not just give them something to put Tennessee Tech on the map.

Q. Indiana is projected to be a Final Four team and you guys were leading in the first quarter. How special is that for you to potentially -- in that first quarter you took down one seeded team?

JADA GUINN: It shows how good our team is. If we can stay with the No. 1 team, like predicted to win, that shows how good our team is. I'm just grateful that we were allowed to show everybody that.

MAALIYA OWENS: I think you can't really count any of the small schools out. I think we came in and showed that we can play, like she said, with the No. 1 team. I think that leaves footprints for years to come.

Q. Just had a quick question. Something that I noticed is the energy from your pep band and all of the fans behind you, even the cheerleaders. What's it like to have them travel with you and bring the energy when you're away?

JADA GUINN: It just means a lot to us just to know that they support us. Like regardless of where we go they're with us. It brings a lot of energy for us, so really happy they always do that.

MAALIYA OWENS: And honestly, listening to them, you wouldn't know if we were up 20, down 20. I think that's something that helps us even if we don't have as much energy, feeding off them.

And our band is great. I think that's just something that provides a really good environment for us. No matter where we go it's almost like we have a little bit of a home-court advantage, so...

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Coach Rosamond.

Q. Coach, you mentioned bumping up against the ceiling, going through it now. Did you have higher aspirations? Obviously 16 seed this time. There are ways if you win your conference to get even higher. You could have an 11, 12, 13 seed and not be playing the best team in the country. So are your future goals to get as high in your conference you can get a higher seed to have a better chance at the upset?

KIM ROSAMOND: Without a doubt. Yeah, this was an everything is a process, right? We've been in a process for the last seven years to get here. I said it the other day. We have not skipped a step. Some people jumped off the bus because it maybe took a little longer than what they wanted it to take. But our kids have stayed in it.

We've had some people right there with us that kept believing in us. But that's the next step. We had to get here first. I think we've represented Tennessee Tech and Tennessee Tech women's basketball pretty dang well.

Today you saw what we can do in that first quarter. The second quarter we just dug ourselves such a deep hole. It was all in transition defense really in that second quarter is where we let them get going.

But the next step is now we've got to build on this. Now we have to take it to where, okay, during the regular season we handle our business and make sure moving forward scheduling-wise there are some things we can do now that we've been to this point that we do get out of that 16 seed and not having to play a No. 1 seed on their home floor.

Again, everything is a process. We will keep believing and trusting in our process, and I think this team has set us up for continued success in the future.

Q. We talked the other night about the three-point shooting. You guys come out and hit your first four. Then you go cold for a while.

KIM ROSAMOND: Yeah.

Q. Also Maaliya, is the only one in double figures with 16. Do you feel like Indiana just knew -- let Maaliya get hers and just key in on everybody else?

KIM ROSAMOND: We thought they would probably put Chloe on Maaliya and make it really, really difficult for her. When we gave up -- I think it was maybe like six straight points in the second quarter, it was all in transition. We were doing -- and I thought for the most part, in the half court we did a pretty solid job defending them in the half court.

They're much bigger than we are. They have a definite height advantage. We wanted to use our speed and our athleticism to our advantage.

When we let them get in transition and get going, it took our confidence for a little bit. Then we got away from what we do really, really well offensively. We start going east and west on offense. We got really slow, really stagnant.

Then we just started having to take shots really late into the shot clock that weren't good shots. Stopped getting to the paint. We are really, really good offensively when we are getting the ball to the paint, whether that's getting it to our post or getting the ball to the paint off the dribble.

And we got away from that when we got down.

And then I really thought we were down 12 at halftime and I thought coming out off halftime we got some great looks. I really did. I thought we ran better offense in the third quarter. The shots just didn't go down. We shot 20% from the floor in the third quarter and a lot of those were looks that we get each and every day that we got all during the OVC tournament, Thursday night against Monmouth we knocked down. It just didn't go in the hole tonight.

So when you get to that point, if you're going to get past a great team like Indiana, you have to play extremely well. But the ball has to go through that hole.

You've also got to have a little bit of extra luck here and there. Obviously at halftime they had shot 12 free throws. We had zero. We're also a team that gets to the free throw line. We only got there, what, six times for the entire game.

So I thought our kids did a lot of things well. The ball just did not bounce our way today. But they kept fighting. I thought they fought all four quarters, which I'm very, very proud of, and I would expect nothing less from this basketball team.

THE MODERATOR: Anything else for coach? Coach, it was a pleasure getting to host your program and congratulations on a great season.

KIM ROSAMOND: Thank you guys. Thank you ya'll, so much.