Just two days after playing on the road at Southern Illinois, WKU will welcome Mississippi Valley State to E.A. Diddle Arena at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday evening for the first-ever meeting between the two sides on the hardwood.
WKU downed Southern Illinois, 75-49, in its last time out on Sunday in the Lady Toppers’ top defensive effort thus far on the season. Ivy Brown and Tashia Brown each tallied 20 points for WKU, and Ivy Brown scored a program-record 16 of those 20 points in the third quarter alone. The Salukis could not get anything going against WKU’s defense, being held to 35.3 percent (18-of-51) shooting from the field and just 15 percent (3-of-20) from beyond the arc.
Tashia Brown (21.6 points per game) continues to lead all C-USA players in scoring and has tallied four straight 20-point games for the Lady Toppers, the longest such stretch of her career.
Mississippi Valley State (0-6) has yet to win this season, falling in all six contests by an average of 25.8 points. Kristy Parker (14.7), LaKenda Bassett (14.2) and Desiray Mosley (11.0) lead the Devilettes in scoring; Bassett also leads the team with five rebounds per game and 28 total assists on the season while playing a team-high 36.5 minutes per game.
After Tuesday’s game, WKU will return to the court on Saturday and Sunday at the West Palm Beach Invitational, squaring off against Stetson (Saturday at 11 a.m. CT) and Toledo (Sunday at 10 a.m. CT) in the in-season tournament.
GAME #9 – WKU VS. MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE
WKU (5-3, 0-0 C-USA) vs. Mississippi Valley State (0-6, 0-0 Southwestern Athletic)
December 12, 2017 | 5:30 p.m. (CT)
Bowling Green, Ky. | E.A. Diddle Arena (7,326)
QUICK SHOTS
– As of Dec. 11, WKU is ranked No. 32 in the latest NCAA RPI rankings, an improvement of 13 spots from the initial rankings on Dec. 4. WKU is the lone C-USA representative in the top 100 of the rankings, with Middle Tennessee second at No. 119.
– Tashia Brown leads C-USA and ranks 14th in the nation with her 21.6 points per game. Brown has four straight 20-point games and has hit the mark in six of WKU’s eight games this season, already matching her total from the entire 2016-17 campaign.
– After holding Southern Illinois to just eight third-quarter points on Sunday, WKU has now held opponents to four single-digit quarters thus far in 2017-18. On the offensive end, the Lady Toppers have produced 16 20-point quarters, meaning that WKU has broken the 20-point barrier in exactly half of its quarters this season.
– In the third quarter against Southern Illinois on Dec. 10, Ivy Brown exploded for 16 points keyed by four three-pointers, including a triple on three straight possessions to open the frame. Brown’s 16-point quarter matched the program record held by Kendall Noble, who also scored 16 points in the third quarter at UTSA on Jan. 30, 2017.
– Already 13th in program history with 1,504 career points, Tashia Brown is looking to move even further up the charts during her senior season. To move into the top 10 in school history, Brown would need to score 259 more points during her final season on The Hill.
– WKU has been very strong at collecting its own misses this season and has tallied nearly as many offensive rebounds as those on the defensive end. The Lady Toppers have pulled down a league-leading 16.5 offensive boards per game, and Ivy Brown ranks second among all C-USA players with 3.8 offensive rebounds per game. WKU’s 16.5 offensive boards also ranks 27th in the nation alongside Notre Dame.
– WKU is currently shooting 122-of-157 (.777) from the free throw line this season, with only two players shooting below 80 percent among those who have attempted at least one free throw. The Lady Toppers’ 122 made free throws are the second-most among C-USA teams, and their 77.7 percent success rate tops the 14-member league and ranks 16th in the nation.
– With a win on Tuesday evening, WKU would continue an impressive run under Michelle Clark-Heard in games played prior to January 1. The Lady Toppers are 54-16 (.771) in such games since the beginning of the 2012-13 campaign.
– With three weekly awards (Tashia Brown’s Player of the Week on Nov. 13 and Raneem Elgedawy’s Freshman of the Week on Nov. 20 and Dec. 4) this season, WKU has already exceeded its total from the entire 2016-17 campaign.
– With its come-from-behind win at Georgia State, WKU continued a strong trend under Michelle Clark-Heard of being able to rally from large deficits. Since the beginning of the 2015-16 season, WKU owns 11 victories when trailing at the halftime break and four wins when down with five minutes to play in regulation.
– WKU has started a true freshman at least five times in each of the last four seasons. Tashia Brown earned five starts in 2014-15, Kayla Smith drew 31 starts in 2015-16, Sarah Price appeared in the starting lineup five times in 2016-17 and Raneem Elgedawy has started WKU’s first eight games this season.
– WKU owns an impressive record under Clark-Heard when breaking the 80-point barrier. The Lady Toppers have posted a near-perfect 49-2 mark when scoring 80 or more since the 2012-13 season.
– Through eight games, Ivy Brown is approaching the top 10 in program history in total rebounds, needing just 88 more boards to break into that group. The Hodgenville, Ky., native also ranks ninth in school history with 109 blocks and her 79.5 percent mark from the free throw line for her career is seventh among all Lady Toppers who have made at least 200 free throws.
BROADCAST
Listen: 102.7 FM and 1450AM in Bowling Green (Jevin Redman, pxp; John Butler, analysis)
Watch: C-USA TV (Online Stream)
Live Stats: WKUSports.com
How to Follow the Lady Toppers: For complete information on WKU Lady Topper Basketball, visit WKUSports.com or follow the program via social media @LadyTopperHoops on Twitter, @LadyTopperHoops on Instagram and on Facebook at facebook.com/WKUWomensBasketball.
– @WKUSports –
Currie P. McFayden
WKU Associate Director of Athletic Communications
Women’s Basketball | Women’s Soccer
