Jan. 5, 2001
LAFAYETTE, LA. - Western Kentucky will try to go 3-0 in Sun Belt Conference play for the first time in three years when it faces Louisiana-Lafayette Saturday at 7 p.m. (CST) at Earl K. Long Gym in Lafayette, La. The Lady Toppers have won four in a row and six of their last seven games and are one of only four teams which are still undefeated in Sun Belt play after the first weekend of action.
Western (8-4, 2-0 Sun Belt) extended their winning streak with a 90-73 win at SBC newcomer New Mexico State Wednesday night in Las Cruces. Junior guard Natalie Powers and sophomore guard Kristina Covington each poured in a game-high 24 points, with Covington adding a game-best nine rebounds.
For the second straight contest, Western got solid production from its bench, as the Lady Topper reserves outscored their Aggie counterparts by a 21-19 count. Junior forward Aja Brown led the charge off the bench with a career-high 16 points, all in the second half when the Lady Toppers shot a blistering 58.1 percent from the field and scored a season-high 55 points.
WKU started slowly against the Aggies and trailed by as many as 10 points with a minute to go in the first half. But, Covington reeled off five straight points, including a long three-pointer in the closing seconds to slice the Lady Topper deficit to just five at halftime.
Powers then opened the second half with five consecutive points to tie the game at 40-all. There would be four more ties over the next eight minutes before Western used an 11-2 run to grab a 68-59 lead with 8:30 to play. NMSU got as close as six points two minutes later, but the Lady Toppers responded with a 15-3 blitz that opened up an 87-69 edge at the two-minute mark and assured WKU of the victory.
For Saturday's opponent, Louisiana-Lafayette, the possibilities and potential for success seem limitless this season. The Ragin' Cajuns are coming off their best record in 12 years and have four starters and 11 letterwinners back in uniform this season. Understandably, fifth-year head coach Gay Nix and the Cajun faithful have a lot to be excited about.
UL Lafayette is 6-6 this season and 0-2 in Sun Belt games after picking up a 73-66 non-conference win at Texas-Pan American Wednesday night. Forward Billie Popovska logged a double-double with game highs of 18 points and 10 rebounds and center Erin Dease added 13 points and seven boards for the Ragin' Cajuns, who wiped out a three-point halftime deficit to break a three-game losing streak.
This will be the first Sun Belt game in more than a week for Louisiana-Lafayette, which dropped a 57-51 decision at home to South Alabama back on Dec. 28, and fell at New Orleans by a 76-63 count on Dec. 30.
Popovska, a native of Melbourne, Australia, is one of two Ragin' Cajun players scoring in double figures, averaging 12.3 points per game. She also ranks second on the team with 5.3 rebounds per game and she is shooting better than 49 percent from the field while starting all 12 games for UL.
Guard Charlotte Green is another offensive threat for the Cajuns, posting 10.8 points per game and shooting nearly 46 percent from the floor. She was a particular nemesis for the Lady Toppers last season, averaging 17.5 ppg against WKU. However, she suffered a sprained ankle in the loss to South Alabama last month and her playing time has been limited in recent days.
The Lady Toppers have dominated the all-time series with Louisiana-Lafayette, going 23-0 against the Ragin' Cajuns dating back to their first meeting in the 1985-86 season. Western is 9-0 against UL in Lafayette, although the Cajuns have played much better against the Lady Toppers at home in recent years, losing by less than 14 points per game in their last three contests at Long Gym.
The two teams met three times last season, with Western sweeping all three outings. The Lady Toppers routed Louisiana-Lafayette, 104-66, in their initial encounter on Jan. 13, 2000, at Diddle Arena, behind a (then) career-high 30 points from Jamie Britt. Less than a month later, Britt again torched the Ragin' Cajuns, this time to the tune of 26 points in a 77-67 victory in Lafayette.
The last time they met, Western fought off a spirited charge by UL Lafayette to claim an 80-70 win in the quarterfinals of the Sun Belt Tournament at Diddle Arena. It was the most points the Ragin' Cajuns have scored in the 23-game series with the Lady Toppers, but it would still not be enough. All-America forward ShaRae Mansfield posted her 20th double-double of the season with 24 points and 16 rebounds and WKU hit 20-of-21 free throws in the second half to pull away and clinch a spot in the SBC Tournament semifinals for the 18th consecutive year.
- WKU -
