Lady Topper Hoops: Keys to Victory Against Marshall

The Western Kentucky Lady Toppers are poised to make some noise. After a slow start to Conference play, they’ve rebounded and are now…

The Western Kentucky Lady Toppers are poised to make some noise. After a slow start to Conference play, they’ve rebounded and are now listed as one of Charlie Creme’s First Four Out in ESPNW Bracketology.

The Lady Tops need to continue winning to increase their options in March.

Today they travel to Marshall for a game they should be slightly favored despite the road trip.

So what are the Keys to Victory for the Lady Tops?

*Note this was written by Matt McCay and was split up from the original combined keys to victory piece

WKU and Marshall have both had a week off. Let’s just be really honest: This is a chance for WKU to stomp an opponent and move on. Will they? That is completely up to them. They have been wildly inconsistent, especially on the road. Western is only 5–4 on the road with three of those losses coming in conference.

The Lady Tops have other business to attend to. The Tops are in legitimate contention for an at-large bid. With multiple Top 60 teams in conference, WKU could actually bolster its resume and get into the field by simply beating teams they should beat and winning most of the games against really good competition.

Western is much better defensively this year, allowing under 67 points, while last year, the Tops were giving up near 75 per game at this point last year. Marshall is a good defensive ball club, but they cannot score, only averaging 60 points per game. They are 7–10 and 2–4 in Conference USA. WKU needs to take care of business. Period.

Dee Givens Needs to be Efficient

Dee Givens is a special player, but she has not been herself this season. She is shooting under 40 percent and under 30 percent from three. Last season, she shot ten percent higher in every shooting category. She obviously has to get out of a funk, and she will almost definitely not end up having the same statistical season as last year. However, if she can just get back to her old self efficiency-wise, all of the other intangibles will take her over the top in terms of her impact for the team.

Play Pretty Basketball

Marshall likes to junk it up. They only shoot 36 percent, and their opponents shoot 34 percent. They foul pretty often, but their opponents don’t shoot significantly more free throws. WKU forces turnovers & shoots much better than the Herd and like to play fast. Make this a fun game to watch. If this is a fun game to watch, Western will win going away. If this is a slugfest and no one can do anything, Marshall has a chance to spring an upset.

Deal With Santigiene’s Size Presence Without Over-Fouling

Ashley Santigiene of Marshall has 45 blocks in 19 games, so she is getting well over two swats a contest. She grabs half of her rebounds on the offensive boards. She shoots a good percentage from the floor but is absolutely horrendous from the free-throw line. Although that may be tempting to tell the team to foul her when in doubt, Raneem Elgedawy tends to get in foul trouble. I would focus on minimizing her impact by encouraging Raneem to be aggressive on the offensive end. She fouls the most on the entire team. Get her in foul trouble and WKU would have a great chance.

Role Players Need to Contribute

Players like Sherry Porter, Meral Abdelgawad, Fatou Pouye, Alexis Brewer, and Myriah Haywood, when called upon, need to do something positive for the team. At times, most of these players can disappear for games at a time and then resurface for a nice performance. If three of these five could play well, WKU would probably be the best team in the conference, because Western’s three stars are among the best trio in C-USA without question.

Whitney Creech Needs to Be Aggressive

Creech tends to disappear. For example, several times, at halftime, she’ll have played 18 minutes, have two points and a rebound. She is too talented to have nothing to show for herself. Whitney needs to stuff the stat sheet, be aggressive, and go to the free-throw line often. When a long ball is available, shoot it. I said it last year and I mean it this year, too. As Whit goes, so does WKU. She is so crucial because you generally know Elgedawy and Givens will get theirs. Will Whitney? That is the ultimate question with her. With a beautiful left-handed mid-range stroke, she can constantly score if she wants to. Be aggressive.

Prediction

I think WKU is getting it together. Signs came from last week that the Tops are getting serious. They played two tough top 50 opponents on the road and split. Job well done. Now it’s time to make the move to the top of the league, starting Saturday against Marshall. I believe WKU is a horrible match-up for Marshall. WKU can score in bunches, and Marshall frankly can’t. When WKU goes on that run, Marshall won’t be able to do anything about it.

I think WKU pulls out a Michelle Clark-Heard special and trounces an opponent from start to finish. I’ve got WKU 85, Marshall 52.