The game was every bit of a shootout in the opening minutes with four ties and three lead changes in the first six minutes of action. Western (7-9, 1-1 SBC East) got a jumper from Leslie Logsdon at the 13:59 mark that started a 7-0 Lady Topper run and open up a 19-12 lead with 11:00 remaining. An Adrianne Davie layup on the next possession ended the run for and sparked a 10-2 spurt by the Lady Indians (11-4, 3-0 SBC East) as they regained a 22-21 lead on a pair of Rudy Sims free throws with 7:58 left in the half.
Logsdon was able to knock down a three on the other end to end the ASU run, and after a defensive stop, Krystal Gardner hit a jumper to give WKU a 26-22 lead with 6:11 on the clock. Five straight Lady Indian points gave them a 27-26 lead on an Amber Abraham three. The lead would change hands three times in the next 1:30 before a 9-2 ASU run gave the Lady Indians a 36-30 lead with 2:42 left before halftime.
Western responded, however, getting a three-point play by Carla Bartee with 2:12 remaining. After both teams came up empty on their next possessions, Shardae Butler knocked down the front end of a one-and-one, and her miss on the second shot was put back in by Logsdon to tied the game at 36-36 with 40 seconds remaining. Katie Caraway gave Arkansas State a lead with a jumper with 14 seconds left, but Camryn Whitaker knocked down a jumper at the buzzer to send the teams into the lockerroom tied at 38-38.
Logsdon led all players in the half with 12 points and five rebounds, while also dishing out three assists. Tiffany Porter-Talbert added seven points, while Whitaker dropped in six. Davie and Caraway paced the Lady Indians with eight points each. Both teams shot well in the opening period as Arkansas State was 14-of-27 from the field (51.9 percent), while the Lady Toppers finished 15-of-31 (48.4 percent.)
Sims got the first bucket of the second half for Arkansas State, but a Porter-Talbert three-point play on the following possession gave the Lady Toppers a 41-40 lead and started a 7-2 to give WKU a 45-42 lead after a Bartee jumper with 18:28 to go. Following an ASU basket, Gardner connected on a three-point play as Western opened up a 48-44 advantage, but ASU rattled off six straight to take a 50-48 lead on a Catriece Webster jumper with 15:19 to play. The Lady Toppers responded with a 5-0 run of their own to a 53-50 lead on a Gardner fastbreak layup at the 10:49 mark. Back-to-back Davie baskets gave ASU a 56-55 lead with just over nine minutes left. The Lady Indians were able to hold on to the advantage and build it as high as seven over the next three minutes when a Caraway free throw made it 70-63 with 4:08 to go. Baskets by Bartee and Porter-Talbert got WKU back within three (70-67) with 3:14 remaining, but a 6-1 ASU run over the next 1:10 made it a 76-68 game with just over a minute remaining. Logsdon got fouled behind the arc on the next possession and hit all three shots to pull Western within five (76-71) with 51 seconds to play, and a Carter free throw made it a six-point game with 45 seconds left. Whitaker hit a three to pull the Lady Toppers back within three (77-74) with 25 ticks left, but ASU hit three free throws in the closing seconds to seal the 81-74 victory.
Logsdon led three Lady Toppers in double figures with 18 points, while Porter-Talbert added 14 and Bartee tossed in 11. Davie paced the Lady Indians with a career-high 20 points. Abraham added 15, Webster added 13 and Caraway tossed in 12 points off the bench.
The Lady Toppers will be at home next weekend for its first conference homestand of the season, hosting New Orleans on Thursday (Jan. 22) and South Alabama on Saturday (Jan. 24). Both games will tip at 7 p.m. (CST).
