WKU Holds Off Second-Half Surge in 74-64 Win at Louisiana Tech Sunday

Sunday, January 28

Ruston, La.

2 P.M. CT

Western Kentucky University

16-5 (7-1)

Louisiana Tech

13-8 (4-4)

WKU

Louisiana Tech

WKU Holds Off Second-Half Surge in 74-64 Win at Louisiana Tech Sunday

1/28/2018 4:57:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Postgame Notes (PDF)

RUSTON, La. – C-USA Player of the Year candidate Tashia Brown scored a game-high 26 points and WKU held off a second-half charge against Louisiana Tech on Sunday afternoon to earn a 74-64 win on the road inside the Thomas Assembly Center.

WKU (16-5, 7-1 C-USA) won its third road game in the last seven days and maintained its lead atop the C-USA standings with the victory. The win was also the Lady Toppers' fourth straight since falling at UAB on Jan. 13.

Tashia Brown led all scorers with 26 points, six of which came on a trio of clutch baskets in the fourth quarter after the Lady Techsters (13-8, 4-4 C-USA) closed within three points. Ivy Brown fell just shy of a double-double with 14 points and nine rebounds, and Dee Givens continued her strong level of play against C-USA opponents this season, notching 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting off the bench.

Sidnee Bopp also starred for the Lady Toppers, knocking down three of her four three-point attempts on the afternoon to finish with nine points.

The Lady Toppers saw Louisiana Tech cut a 16-point deficit to just three points early in the fourth quarter, but a strong defensive stand by WKU limited the Lady Techsters to just 13 fourth-quarter points to end the comeback attempt.

Kierra Anthony led Louisiana Tech with 18 points but also turned the ball over eight times on the day. Kierra Lang and Reauna Cleaver joined her in double figures with 11 and 10 points, respectively, and Alexus Malone pulled down a game-best 12 rebounds for the Lady Techsters.

WKU notched the first point of the game off a free throw from Kayla Smith, but Louisiana Tech used seven unanswered points over the next two minutes to build the first sizable lead of the game. Lang started the run with a three-pointer, and Anthony capped the stretch with a layup to put the Lady Techsters ahead, 7-1.

Despite falling behind by two possessions, WKU roared back with an 18-4 run spanning the next four minutes of the first frame. Five points apiece from Ivy Brown and Givens keyed the long run for the Lady Toppers, and a pullup jumper from Givens at the 3:33 mark gave the Lady Toppers an eight-point edge at 19-11.

Early in the second quarter, Louisiana Tech trimmed the WKU lead to just one point, 22-21, on a layup from Cleaver with 8:48 on the clock. After nearly losing its lead, WKU fired back in a big way, outscoring the Lady Techsters with another 18-4 run, closing with Ivy Brown's layup with 2:04 to go before the halftime break for a 40-25 advantage.

WKU maintained that edge through the break, carrying a 42-29 lead over Louisiana Tech into the locker room.

Bopp extended WKU's advantage off another three-pointer at the 6:14 mark of the third quarter, part of five straight points for the Lady Toppers to push the lead to 50-34. From there, however, Louisiana Tech mounted a big comeback with a 15-4 run over the next five minutes, spurred by a pair of triples from Anthony and Taylor Stahly, to cut the Lady Topper lead to just five points at the end of the frame.

The Lady Techsters pulled even closer off Anthony's pullup jumper inside to open the fourth quarter, leaving WKU clinging to a one-possession lead. Facing its smallest lead since the opening half, Tashia Brown scored back-to-back jumpers as part of an 8-0 Lady Topper run to push the lead back to double digits.

Louisiana Tech cut the lead back to single digits twice over the final five minutes, but stout defense down the stretch allowed the Lady Toppers to hang on for the hard-fought 74-64 victory.

With its long road trip finally in the books, WKU will return to E.A. Diddle Arena for the first time since Jan. 18 when the Lady Toppers host Florida Atlantic next Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. The two sides have met 18 times since the 2006-07 season when both were members of the Sun Belt, and WKU holds a 16-2 edge in the series, including wins in each of the last seven contests.