With 17 Sun Belt Conference games all that remains in the 2009-10 regular season, the Western Kentucky University women's basketball team turns their full attention towards league play beginning Thursday (Dec. 31) with a 2 p.m. (CST) matinee against Louisiana-Lafayette at E.A. Diddle Arena. The game will be the front end of a doubleheader as the Hilltoppers will meet the Ragin' Cajuns in men's basketball action at 5 p.m.
- WKU is playing for just the third time ever on New Year's Eve. The Lady Toppers have started the celebration early in both those outings, winning at Vanderbilt in overtime to close out 1998, and earning a 32-point home win over Murray State on the last day of 2000.
- Dating back to the first year of regular-season Sun Belt Conference play in 1984-85, the Lady Toppers have never started 0-2 in league games.
- The Lady Toppers have won 15 of the 16 meetings with Louisiana-Lafayette in Bowling Green, and 31 of the 33 contests overall.
- WKU played its final nonconference game of the regular season Monday at George Washington. The remaining 17 games of the season will be against Sun Belt Conference teams.
Out With The Old - Thursday's New Year's Eve battle with Louisiana-Lafayette marks the final game of 2009 for WKU. The Lady Toppers are 15-13 since last January. They have won their final game of the calendar year 24 of the last 34 years. That includes a pair of wins on Dec. 31 in 1998 and 2000.
Home-Court Advantage - Thursday's game marks the first home Sun Belt game of the season. In the seven previous seasons under head coach Mary Taylor Cowles, WKU is a combined 50-5 in home league games, and has never lost more than two SBC games at Diddle Arena in any of those years. The Lady Toppers have also won 21 consecutive Sun Belt Conference home openers.
What Can Brown Do For WKU - The duo of Arnika Brown and Hope Brown both had huge games for WKU Monday at George Washington. Arnika posted her sixth double-double of the season with a team-high 17 points and game-best 14 rebounds. That included eight boards on the offensive end. Hope scored in double digits for the first time in 2009-10, tossing in 16 points. She scored nine of WKU's first 14 points of the game, and led the Lady Toppers with 14 points at intermission.
Rich Cashes In Against GW - After struggling offensively for most of the season, senior guard Kenzie Rich broke through on Monday to the tune of 16 points against the Colonials. It marked just the second time all season that Rich has posted double digits. She also knocked down four three pointers in the contest, making her just the third Lady Topper in history to eclipse 200 made treys for a career.
Grand Theft - The Lady Topper defense forced George Washington into 26 turnovers Monday night, and also picked up a season-high 19 steals in the contest. WKU took advantage of those miscues, scoring 27 points off turnovers. Four Lady Toppers picked up multiple steals, led by Amy McNear's game and career high six takeaways. Kenzie Rich and Hope Brown each finished with four steals, and Arnika Brown added three. That was the most team steals in a game since finishing with 20 against Louisiana-Lafayette on Feb. 6, 1999. McNear's six takeaways were also the most by a Lady Topper since Leslie Logsdon finished with eight against Illinois-Chicago on Jan. 14, 2004.
Never Looking Back - The Lady Toppers led from opening basket to final buzzer on Monday - a rarity in recent memory. In fact, it was the first time WKU led wire-to-wire since an 89-52 win over Florida Atlantic on March 1, 2008 in Boca Raton.
