The win moved WKU to 12-5 overall and 6-2 in the Sun Belt Conference East Division, while the Privateers fell to 7-14 and 1-9 in the SBC West.
“I was really pleased with our intensity and our effort tonight. That is something that has been missing from our team the past few games,” said Lady Topper head coach Mary Taylor Cowles. “We felt like we could extend the pressure against New Orleans, and our girls understood what getting after it defensively could do for us tonight.”
The Lady Toppers jumped out quick in the first half, scoring the first four points of the game and never trailing. An 8-2 run midway through the half pushed the lead to double figures when a Kenzie Rich three made it 18-8 with 11:21 to play in the period. The Privateers got as close as six twice in the half — the last coming when a Cookie Johnson three made it 21-15. However, WKU responded with another run of five unanswered points to push the lead to 11 points when a Rich layup made it 26-15 with just over five minutes remaining before halftime.
After trading points for the next three minutes, the Lady Toppers closed the half with jumpers from Charlotte Marshall and Brianne Brown to go into halftime with a 34-21 advantage.
After going scoreless from behind the three point arc Thursday night at UALR, the Lady Toppers found the range Saturday, hitting four of their five threes for the contest in the first half.
WKU put the game away early in the second half, scoring the first nine points of the period as part of a 16-5 run that stretched the lead to 24 points on a Crystal Kelly layup. The advantage would stay above 20 points the rest of the game, getting as high as 29 late in the contest.
Despite shooting just 34.8 percent from the field, WKU got scoring from nine different players, with six scoring at least seven points. Kelly led the way with a game-high 24, while Marshall scored in double figures for the first time in nine games as she tossed in 14.
The Lady Toppers also controlled the boards for the second straight game, outrebounding the Privateers 45-36. Kelly and Brown each had a game-high eight rebounds, while Brown — who pulled down a career-high number of rebounds — accounted for seven of WKU’s season-high 25 offensive boards. Brown also tied her season high with seven points.
“You really have to compliment Brianne for how aggressive she was on the offensive glass tonight,” added Cowles. “It’s been great the last two games to see her confidence boost and really bring a spark for us off the bench.”
The Lady Toppers will now take their two-game winning streak on the road for the last two games of January. WKU will be at SBC West Division leader Arkansas State at 7:05 p.m. (CST) on Wednesday (Jan. 24) before closing out the month with a 5 p.m. contest at Denver on Saturday.
