Lady Topper Hoops: Lady Toppers Make Statement, Trounce Charlotte 83–61
It’s official: The Western Kentucky Lady Toppers are rolling heading into the last week of the regular season. In WKU’s only game this…
It’s official: The Western Kentucky Lady Toppers are rolling heading into the last week of the regular season. In WKU’s only game this week, a Charlotte squad came in on a five game winning streak Friday evening expecting to solidify a bye in the C-USA Tournament. Instead, they walked away with an 83–61 loss to a Western Kentucky team that has won by double digits in all of its 12 conference wins.
Senior Tashia Brown unquestionably left her final mark in her (presumably) final game in Diddle Arena. At one point in the third quarter, Tashia Brown had nearly outscored Charlotte’s entire team. Ultimately, Tashia finished with an unbelievable 38 points, good for tying the 5th most points in a game in Lady Topper history.
Senior Ivy Brown (14 points, 5 rebounds) did not have a night for the history books, but she did find a way to contribute in a laugher.
Two other Lady Toppers found their way into double digits. Raneem Elgedawy (12 points, 8 rebounds) and Dee Givens (11 points, 7 rebounds) continued their consistent play.
WKU now stands well inside the Top 50 in the RPI and is in the conversation as a bubble team. Early non-conference victory, Mercer, is now ranked in the Top 25. This gives WKU two Top 25 victories on the year, including an early season win against Top 15 Missouri. With no bad losses, WKU certainly can make an argument for deserving a ticket to the dance.
News and Notes
Tashia Brown’s 38 points certainly put her back in the conversation to finish as the most prolific Lady Topper scorer in a single season. Krystal Kelly scored 770 and 767 in her final two seasons. Tashia Brown has 630 points. With at least three more games remaining, Tashia could flirt with or surpass this milestone. Tashia now needs only 39 points to reach 2,000 for her career.
Ivy Brown has been flirting with averaging a double-double all season. With her limited action against Charlotte due to foul trouble, Ivy only grabbed five rebounds. Her average dropped to 9.9 rebounds per game, but Ivy only needs to grab ten or more in each game to raise her average.
The Lady Toppers clinched no worse than a three seed with their victory against Charlotte. With one more win or a Rice loss, WKU confirms a two seed. If WKU wins out and UAB loses one or more, WKU claims the top seed. UAB plays La Tech Saturday in its presumably toughest remaining test.
The Lady Toppers head to Southern Miss (Thursday, March 1) and UTEP (Saturday, March 3) for their final two regular season games before the Conference USA Tournament in Frisco, Texas, March 7–10.
WKU is currently projected as an 11 seed and the lone C-USA representative in the NCAA Tournament, according to ESPN.