Feb. 20, 2003
Bowling Green, Ky. - The Western Kentucky women's basketball team clinched the 2002-03 Sun Belt Conference East Division title with a 75-57 win over Florida International Thursday night. This is the first time WKU has won a regular-season Sun Belt championship since the 1996-97 season, and the first outright regular-season crown since 1985-86.
The Lady Toppers (17-8, 11-2 SBC East) got on the board with a jumper from Krystal Gardner (Fr., Munfordville, Ky.) at the 18:54 mark. That bucket sparked an 8-0 opening run for WKU. The Golden Panthers (16-8, 7-4 SBC East) finally got on the board with a three by Mandy Shafer, and a layup by Cormisha Cotton got FIU within three (8-5) with 14:57 left in the half. Leslie Logsdon (Jr., Munfordville, Ky.) stopped the bleeding with a three, pushing the lead back to 11-5 with 14:38 on the clock. Western remained in front and pushed the lead to nine when a three by Kristina Covington (Sr., Elizabethtown, Ky.) made it a 20-11 game with 10:15 remaining. However, a 6-0 Golden Panther run got FIU back within three on a Cotton jumper. Western used a 9-2 run to push the lead back out to 10 on a Logsdon three with 3:46 to play, but again FIU fought back within three points when another Shafer three made it 31-28 with 1:47 to go. The teams traded baskets the rest of the half, and WKU got a bucket from Tiffany Porter-Talbert (Fr., Manhattan Beach, Calif.) with 29 second left to take a 35-30 lead into intermission.
Logsdon led Western with nine points in the first half, while Covington and Shala Reese (Sr., Easton, Texas) added eight points each. Shafer led FIU with 14 points, with Cotton tossing in 10.
Western put the game away early in the second half, opening the period on 11-0 run, stretching the lead to 16 (46-30) on a Covington three with 17:18 on the clock. The Golden Panthers never challenged the rest of the half as the Lady Toppers were able to build the lead as high as 21 points on three occasions, the last coming when a Reese layup pushed the lead to 65-47 with 6:09 remaining. A 10-4 Golden Panther run got the deficit down to 12 (69-57) with 2:58 to play, but that would be the last time FIU would score as Western put in the final six points before time expired.
Reese led all scorers with 24 points, pacing three Lady Toppers in double figures. She also pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds for her league-leading 13th double-double of the season. Logsdon finished with 19, and Covington added 14. Shafer paced FIU with 21 points.
The Lady Toppers will step away from conference play Monday night (Feb. 24), hosting Chicago State at 7 p.m. (CST). Western will then close out the regular season next Saturday (March 1) as Middle Tennessee comes to Diddle Arena for a 12:30 Senior Day matchup.
- WKU -
