Feb. 10, 2001
By CHRIS DUNCAN
Associated Press Writer
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - Takeisha Lewis had 20 points and 11 rebounds as No. 8 Louisiana Tech beat Western Kentucky 67-52 on Saturday night for its 47th consecutive regular-season conference victory.
Amber Obaze scored 15, Ayana Walker added 13 and Essence Perry scored 11 for Louisiana Tech (21-4, 12-0 Sun Belt), which had at least four players in double figures for the seventh consecutive game.
Kristina Covington scored 13 and ShaRae Mansfield added 12 for Western Kentucky (15-9, 7-5), which lost to the Lady Techsters for the ninth straight time. Natalie Powers, the Sun Belt's leading scorer who ranks seventh in the nation with a 22.6 average, was held to nine points on 3-of-14 shooting.
The game was tied at halftime and Leah Lineberry's baseline jumper with 17:45 left in the game pulled the Lady Toppers within one at 38-37. The Lady Techsters held Western Kentucky without a field goal for the next six minutes during a 12-0 run.
Jamie Truitt sank a 3-pointer from the wing with 11:35 remaining to end the Lady Toppers' drought and cut the deficit to 50-40.
Baskets by Aja Brown and Mansfield trimmed the deficit to six by the midpoint of the second half.
But Perry's 3-pointer from the wing with 9:59 left triggered a decisive 10-0 run.
The Lady Toppers never got closer than double digits the rest of the way.
Western Kentucky finished 19-of-59 (32 percent) after going 8-of-27 (30 percent) in the second half.
Neither team led by more than seven in a see-saw first half.
Louisiana Tech mounted an 8-1 run after Katie Wulf's baseline jumper tied the game at 14 with 12:00 left in the first half. Western Kentucky missed seven straight shots before Powers ended the Tech spurt with a 3-pointer from the corner with 7:09 remaining.
The Lady Toppers surged ahead by five with a 10-0 run late in the half. A 3-pointer by Perry and a layup by Obaze in the final two minutes forged a 33-33 halftime tie.
Walker blocked three shots in the first half to become her school's all-time leader with 165.
