Dec. 16, 2002
Oxford, Miss. - The Western Kentucky women's basketball team was unable to overcome a cold shooting night as they dropped the first of four straight road games 79-45 at Mississippi Monday night.
Western (4-2) was unable to find the shooting touch early in the half as Ole Miss (7-0) jumped out to an early 5-0 lead. The Lady Toppers pulled within a point (5-4) on four straight points from Leslie Logsdon (Jr., Munfordville, Ky.), but the Lady Rebels held WKU without a point for an 8:28 stretch as they extended the lead to 21-4 with 9:37 to play in the half. Tiffiany Diggins (Sr., Des Moines, Wash.) ended the drought with a three-point play at the 8:41 mark, and Western pulled within 12 when two Logsdon free throws made it 21-9 with 8:17 to play. Western would get no closer in the first half as Ole Miss scored the last four points to go into the lockerrom with a 38-21 lead, equaling its largest lead of the period.
Shala Reese (Sr., Easton, Texas) led the Lady Toppers with eight points at the intermission, while Logsdon tossed in six. Carletta Brown and Amber Watts paced the Lady Rebels with nine points each. WKU shot just 25 percent in the half (7 of 28), and was held scoreless from behind the arc. Ole Miss also forced the Lady Toppers into 13 first-half turnovers.
The two teams traded baskets to open the second half, but again the Lady Toppers went cold, going 3:30 without a basket as Ole Miss extended the lead 21 points (44-23) on a jumper from Brown. WKU got within 18 when a jumper from Tiffany Porter-Talbert (Fr., Manhattan Beach, Calif.) made it 44-26, but the Lady Rebels exploded from there, getting the lead as high as 37 points on two occasions before a late Western run made the final margin 34 points as Ole Miss took the 79-45 victory.
Reese led Western with a game-high 19 points, and completed her fifth double-double of the year with 10 rebounds. Porter-Talbert also finished in double figures for Western with 11. Brown led Ole Miss with 15 points, while Watts had 13 points and 14 rebounds.
The Lady Toppers continue their four-game road swing Thursday with a 7 p.m. (CST) date at Western Illinois.
- WKU -
