Rowe looks to build off strong finish to last season
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Western Kentucky sophomore guard Trinity Rowe (11) looks to pass the ball in the Lady Toppers’ 70-65 win over the MTSU Blue Raiders at E. A. Diddle Arena on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026.
(GRACE McDOWELL / The Daily News)
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Western Kentucky sophomore guard Trinity Rowe (11) lines up to shoot a three-pointer in the Lady Toppers’ 65-38 loss to the Missouri State Bears at E. A. Diddle Arena on Thursday, March 5, 2026.
(Grace McDowell / The Daily News)
Trinity Rowe’s first season at Western Kentucky University didn’t quite go as planned.
The 2024 Kentucky Miss Basketball out of Pikeville arrived at WKU after a season at Southern Miss looking to make an immediate impact. But prior to WKU’s first road game at Lindenwood, a left hand injury sidelined Rowe for seven games.
Rowe was able to return and found her stride down the stretch – finishing the season as WKU’s leader in scoring (10.8 ppg), assists (94), 3-point percentage (42.2%) and free-throw percentage (80%).
Now the junior guard is looking to pick up where she left off and help the Lady Toppers get back on the winning track.
“It was definitely tough,” Rowe said. “I just want to get out there and compete every chance I get. I knew that everything happens for a reason. I read my Bible that night (when I got injured). Then at the airport our flight got delayed and we had to wait until the next day. I still didn’t know if my hand was broken that night. It was just a lot of trust and faith that God was going to get me through.”
Rowe said the time on the sidelines while injured gave her a chance to learn more about her teammates.
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“I learned how to coach them in a different way and how to play with them,” Rowe said. “Obviously being off the court it is harder to have that connection, but I also learned a lot about myself. I had to learn patience and how to find peace in the chaos.”
Rowe added she also grew closer to head coach Greg Collins.
“We were able to just talk about the game and figure out what we were going to do when conference came around,” Rowe said.
Originally targeting a return by the start of Conference USA play, Rowe returned to action in one month – playing 18 minutes at Miami (Ohio) on Dec. 7. She poured in 16 points against Chattanooga, but then totaled 21 points over the next three games.
“As a point guard I wasn’t really concerned about my own play,” Rowe said. “I was more concerned with what I need to do to get us to win games.”
Collins said he is always reminding Rowe that she can be an elite scorer and the point guard.
“Now she’s a great shooter and so we are also working on that area as well,” Collins said. “She has a point guard mentality, but we need her to also have a little bit like a Jalen Brunson mentality sometimes.”
Rowe’s offensive output picked up over the final few weeks of the season. Starting with an 18-point performance in a home win against Middle Tennessee, Rowe scored in double digits over the final six games. She capped her sophomore year scoring a season-high 24 points with seven 3-pointers against Florida International.
“(Coach Collins) definitely reminds me that I can shoot the ball,” Rowe said. “Anything I need to do – whether it is shoot, assists. We need points to win the game. Whatever I need to do, that is what I am going to do.”
Collins said that strong finish has carried over and he can tell this summer that the game has slowed down for her.
“She sees things,” Collins said. “She is able to control things and not try to play to somebody else’s advantage. She plays to her advantage. I know she has grown in that area.”
The accolades are starting to come as well, with Rowe named to the preseason All-Conference USA team. The honors are nice, but Rowe said she’s ready to contribute in any way – whether it is scoring, assists or just providing on-the-court leadership – and help the team reach its lofty goals.
“I’m just more concerned about what I need to do to get this team to the conference championship,” Rowe said. That is what I am going to do this year.”
About Micheal Compton
I am a sports reporter and movie critic for the Bowling Green Daily News.
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