Lady Topper Hoops: Lady Tops Hold Strong Against Notre Dame, Can’t Withstand Final Punch in 78–65…
Western Kentucky women’s basketball hosted a Top 10 opponent in E.A. Diddle Arena for the first time since hosting #3 Louisville in 2013…
Western Kentucky women’s basketball hosted a Top 10 opponent in E.A. Diddle Arena for the first time since hosting #3 Louisville in 2013. The sixth-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish crossed the threshold of Diddle Arena on Tuesday night. WKU battled and responded to every Notre Dame run except the last, ultimately succumbing 78–65 in front of over 5,000 spectators.
Lady Topper Tashia Brown poured in a double-double, leading all scorers with 25 and pulling down 10 boards. Whitney Creech (17) and Raneem Elgedawy (10) both joined Brown in double figures on the scoreboard.
Notre Dame was paced by All-American candidates Arike Agunbawale and Jessica Shepard, who combined for 40 points and 17 rebounds on the night. The Fighting Irish shot nearly 45% from the floor, while holding the Lady Toppers under a 30% clip (most of that coming from easy missed shots underneath, especially early, that the Lady Tops were more often than not able to put back on second or even third opportunities).
WKU was only able to assist on six of their 22 made baskets. With Ivy Brown (two points, nine rebounds) getting banged around in the post with foul trouble, WKU was not able to handle the size and girth of the Notre Dame lineup, and ultimately was not able to execute enough to overcome a Final Four caliber opponent.
Remarkably, the Lady Toppers forced more turnovers, took more shots, drew more fouls, and shot more free throws, but couldn’t find a way to get over the hump.
Even a state the Lady Tops didn’t win — rebounding — they held an advantage in in the late stages of the game, and only lost the rebounding battle by five boards.
The Lady Toppers received a standing ovation from the home crowd at the end and Coach Michelle Clark-Heard thanked the crowd for being there for her team.
The Lady Toppers have been incredibly impressive against a brutal portion of their schedule. Despite a losing record in the early going, the Lady Toppers beat a ranked opponent, took a Power 5 squad to overtime, and held their own at home against a program that has been to five of the past seven Final Fours.
The Lady Tops travel to Bloomington, Indiana on Friday night to take on an Indiana Hoosiers squad that won a game in the 2017 NCAA Tournament and returns all five starters.
Your final stats for the evening looked like this.
