Lady Topper Hoops: Defense Struggles First Half, WKU Pulls Away in Second Against Lee
Western Kentucky (9–4) rolled on on Friday, despite some issues on defense. WKU gave up 42 points in the first half to Division II Lee…
Western Kentucky (9–4) rolled on on Friday, despite some issues on defense. WKU gave up 42 points in the first half to Division II Lee University, but the Lady Toppers stifled the Flames in the second, only allowing 22 in an 88–64 victory.
Tashia Brown continued her unbelievable 20-point streak, reaching 20 in the first half and finishing with a ho-hum 30 points on 18 shots making for nine consecutive games with at least 20 points for Tashia.
Ivy Brown was her usual self, finishing with a double-double (20 points, 15 rebounds) and breaking loose six steals on the night.
No other Lady Topper finished in double digits, but freshman sensation Raneem Elgedawy (nine points, 10 rebounds) finished one point shy of a double-double. Freshmen Nichel Tampa, Terri Smith, and Sherry Porter saw significant action Friday, helping the Lady Tops step up the defensive effort.
Nichel Tampa (seven points, five boards) played her first real excellent basketball game of her career, recording a career-high in points, rebounds, and minutes.
In the non-conference portion of their schedule, WKU finishes 8–4, beat a ranked team, and only lost to Top 100 squads, including three teams ranked in the polls.
Facts and Figures
Tashia Brown poured in 30 more points, raising her season average to 23.6 points a game. Brown is currently on pace to score over 800 points in 2017–18, which would be a Lady Topper record. Crystal Kelly scored 770 in 2006–07.
Ivy Brown is now flirting with averaging a double-double (15.4 ppg, 9.8 rpg). She’d be the first Lady Topper to do so since Chastity Gooch in 2012–13. Keep an eye on Ivy’s other all-time numbers: She could finish Top 10 in points, rebounds, minutes, field goal percentage, free throw percentage, blocks and steals by the end of the season.
WKU is efficient in most categories, but the main discrepancy is the Lady Tops’ ability to force turnovers. They force over 19 a contest, while only turning it over 13.5 times per game.
Dee Givens had played in every game in 2017, averaging seven points a game, but she did not see action Friday.