Courtesy of Tennessee State Athletics
BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – The 2022-2023 Ohio Valley Conference women’s basketball preseason coaches poll was announced by the league on Tuesday morning, and third-year head coach Ty Evans‘s team was slotted fifth in the 10-team ranking. Sophomore guard Gia Adams was named to the All-OVC Preseason team.
The Lady Tigers received 95 total points and one first-place vote in the preseason ranking that was voted on by the league’s head coaches and sports information directors.
Adams returns to the TSU lineup after playing in and starting in 31 games last season while averaging 12.9 points per game. The Texas native was named the OVC Freshman of the Year last season. She reached double-digits in 17 of the 31 games she played in and had a season-high 33 points against SIUE.
Tennessee Tech took home 11 first-place votes to finish with 147 points and was selected as the preseason top team, followed by UT Martin with 134 points (four first-place votes. Newcomer Arkansas Little Rock was tabbed in third place with 129 points and four first-place votes, followed by Eastern Illinois which was picked one spot in front of TSU with 115 points.
The Lady Tigers will open the season on November 7, as they are set to host Fisk University at 5:30 in the Gentry Center. Click here to view the full schedule.
2022-23 OVC Women’s Basketball Predicted Order of Finish
(Selected by OVC Head Basketball Coaches and Communication Directors)
Order of Finish Points
1. Tennessee Tech (11 first-place votes) 147
2. UT Martin (Four first-place votes) 134
3. Little Rock (Four first-place votes) 129
4. Eastern Illinois 115
5. Tennessee State (One first-place vote) 95
6. SIUE 83
7. Southern Indiana 66
8. Southeast Missouri 61
t9. Lindenwood 33
t9. Morehead State 33
(*Schools were not allowed to rank their own team. 9 points awarded for a first-place vote, 8 for second, etc.)
2022-23 Preseason All-Ohio Valley Conference Women’s Basketball Team (Selected by OVC Head Basketball Coaches and Communication Directors)
Preseason OVC Player of the Year: Lariah Washington, Eastern Illinois
Name, School Pos. HT. CL. Hometown Key Stats
Lariah Washington, Eastern Illinois* G 5-9 Sr. St. Cloud, Minn. 15.6 ppg; 47.3 FG%
Paige Pipkin, UT Martin* G 5-10 Gr. Henderson, Tenn. 12.3 ppg, 4.1 rpg
Gia Adams, Tennessee State% G 5-7 So. Houston, Texas 12.9 ppg; 2.6 apg
Shae Littleford, UT Martin% G 5-7 So. Charleston, Ill. 11.0 ppg; 30.5 3-PT FG%
Mikayla Kinnard, SIUE G 5-11 Sr. Louisville, Ky. 12.3 ppg; 39.5 FG%
Jada Guinn, Tennessee Tech G 5-8 Sr. Oak Ridge, Tenn. 8.9 ppg; 3.8 apg
Jordan Brock, Tennessee Tech G 5-7 Gr. Harlan, Ky. 11.8 ppg; 38.7 FG%
Anna Walker, Tennessee Tech F 6-0 Jr. Cleveland, Tenn. 8.5 ppg; 4.0 rpg
Seygan Robins, UT Martin G 5-8 Gr. Harrodsburg, Ky. 9.8 ppg; 39.6 FG%
Hannah Haithcock, SIU F 6-0 Sr. Washington Court House, Ohio 12.3 ppg, 4.7 rpg
Kennedi Watkins, Southeast Missouri F 5-10 So. Ballwin, Mo. 8.2 ppg; 5.6 rpg
Morgan Litwiller, Eastern Illinois F 5-11 Sr. Middlebury, Ind. 7.2 ppg; 3.6 rpg
* – 1st team All-OVC in 2021-22 # – 2nd team All-OVC in 2021-22 % – OVC All-Newcomer team in 2021-22
