WKU will play in its final in-season tournament of the 2017-18 season this weekend as it takes on Stetson (Saturday at 11 a.m. CT) and Toledo (Sunday at 10 a.m. CT) in the 2017 West Palm Beach Invitational hosted by Keiser University.
In its last time out, WKU took down Mississippi Valley State inside E.A. Diddle Arena on Tuesday evening, picking up an 87-48 victory. Tashia Brown scored a game-high 26 points, Ivy Brown notched her fourth double-double of the season and Sidnee Bopp connected on four of her five shots from beyond the arc to pace the Lady Toppers, who held the Devilettes to just nine fourth-quarter points.
Tashia Brown (22.1 points per game) continues to lead all C-USA players in scoring and has tallied five straight 20-point games for the Lady Toppers, the longest such stretch of her career.
Stetson (6-5) is led by 18.1 points per game from Brittney Chambers and has won three of its last four games, and Kaayla McIntyre paces Toledo (7-2) with 13.9 points and 8.9 rebounds per outing. The Rockets have also been hot as of late, winning six of their last seven games entering the weekend’s tournament.
Following this weekend’s pair of games, WKU will travel to Muncie, Ind., next Thursday at 6 p.m. (CT) to battle undefeated Ball State in its last matchup before the holidays.
GAME #10 – WKU VS. STETSON
WKU (6-3, 0-0 C-USA) vs. Stetson (6-5, 0-0 Atlantic Sun)
December 16, 2017 | 11:00 a.m. (CT)
West Palm Beach, Fla. | Countess de Hoernle Ballroom
GAME #11 – WKU VS. TOLEDO
WKU (6-3, 0-0 C-USA) vs. Toledo (7-2, 0-0 Mid-American)
December 17, 2017 | 10:00 a.m. (CT)
West Palm Beach, Fla. | Countess de Hornle Ballroom
QUICK SHOTS
– As of Dec. 13, WKU is ranked No. 46 in the latest NCAA RPI rankings and will face No. 24 Toledo and No. 132 Stetson in West Palm Beach. WKU is the lone C-USA representative in the top 100 of the rankings, with Middle Tennessee second at No. 117.
– Tashia Brown leads C-USA and ranks 11th in the nation with her 22.1 points per game. Brown has five straight 20-point games and has hit the mark in seven of WKU’s nine games this season, already exceeding her total from the entire 2016-17 campaign.
– After holding Mississippi Valley State to just nine fourth-quarter points on Sunday, WKU has now held opponents to five single-digit quarters thus far in 2017-18. On the offensive end, the Lady Toppers have produced 19 20-point quarters, meaning that WKU has broken the 20-point barrier in more than 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 1,530 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 233 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 16.4 offensive boards per game, and Ivy Brown ranks second among all C-USA players with 3.9 offensive rebounds per game. WKU’s 16.4 offensive boards also ranks 29th in the nation alongside Elon.
– Sharpshooter Sidnee Bopp has connected on eight of her last nine three-point attempts and has now hit 17 of her 33 (51.5 percent) chances this season. Bopp’s 51.5 percent mark leads all C-USA players and is currently the best single-season mark in school history.
– WKU is currently shooting 136-of-174 (.782) from the free throw line this season, with only three players shooting below 80 percent among those who have attempted at least one free throw. The Lady Toppers’ 136 made free throws are the second-most among C-USA teams, and their 78.2 percent success rate tops the league and ranks 14th in the nation.
– With wins this weekend, WKU would continue an impressive run under Michelle Clark-Heard in games played prior to January 1. The Lady Toppers are 55-16 (.775) 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 nine 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 50-2 mark when scoring 80 or more since the 2012-13 season.
– Through nine games, Ivy Brown is approaching the top 10 in program history in total rebounds, needing just 77 more boards to break into that group. The Hodgenville, Ky., native also ranks ninth in school history with 109 blocks and her 79.7 percent mark from the free throw line for her career is sixth 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)
Watch: Courtesy of Keiser Athletics
Live Stats: Courtesy of Keiser Athletics
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
