The Western Kentucky University women's basketball team puts a three-game winning streak on the line Wednesday, visiting Troy for a 7 p.m. (CST) tipoff. The Lady Toppers enter the game 10-7 overall and 4-2 in the Sun Belt Conference East Division. The Trojans are 10-6 and 3-4 in the league, but are 6-1 at home so for in 2009-10.
- WKU is looking to extend its winning streak to a season-high four games Wednesday night at Troy. This is the second time this season the Lady Toppers have won three consecutive games as they also opened the year 3-0. In fact, they are looking to win four straight games for the first time since winning seven in a row en route to the 2008 Sun Belt Tournament championship.
- The Lady Toppers are looking to avenge another of their five road Sun Belt Conference losses from last season. They got payback on Denver for a loss in 2009 with a three-point win on Jan. 10. WKU dropped a 60-57 decision at Troy a season ago.
- Wednesday's game at Troy will be the final road contest for WKU in the month of January. It closes the month with a three-game homestand.
Five For 10 (Or More) - For the first time this season, five Lady Toppers reached double figures Sunday in the win over FIU. In fact, only six players got intot eh scoring column for WKU in the game. The five double-digit scorers - Kenzie Rich (17), Arnika Brown (16), Amy McNear (14), Dominique Duck (12) and LaTeira Owens (10) - all combined to shoot 52.3 percent from the field and 18-for-22 (81.8 percent) at the free-throw line. It was the first time WKU had at least five players score in double figures since last season against Louisiana-Lafayette when six players scored 10 or more points.
Brown Posts Another Double-Double - With her 16 points and game-high 14 rebounds, senior Arnika Brown recorded her second consecutive double-double and eighth of the season. Her efforts against the Golden Panthers came on the heels of a 15-point, 15-board effort against FAU. For the week, Brown averaged 15.5 points and 14.5 rebounds per game in two wins. Her eight double-doubles on the year currently rank tied 18th in the nation. Judie Lomax of Columbia leads all of Division I with 13.
Duck Holds Block Party - Senior Dominque Duck continues to move toward her 100th career block, and helped her cause on Sunday with four rejections against FIU. That tied a career high, and was also the second time this season she recorded four blocks - also doing so against Pittsburgh. Duck now has 93 career blocks, and has recorded 15 this season.
Owens Strikes Again From Bench - For the second straight game, sophomore LaTeira Owens played big off the bench, especially in the rebounding column. Owens pulled down nine boards - including four on the offensive end of the floor - to go along with 10 points in 24 minutes against FIU. She also had eight rebounds in just 10 minutes Wednesday night against Florida Atlantic. On the year, Owens is now averaging 4.1 rebounds per game, but has pulled down 35 boards in the last five contests (7 boards per game).
Wire-To-Wire Again - For the third time in the last six games, the Lady Toppers went the entire 40 minutes without trailing or being tied in the game as they led wire-to-wire against Florida International on Sunday. They also did so in wins over George Washington and Louisiana-Lafayette in late December. WKU did not go without trailing in any of its 16 victories last season, and prior to the GW game had not led a whole game since a 79-56 win at Florida Atlantic on March 1, 2008.
McNear Dishing It Out - Junior guard Amy McNear dished out eight assists in Sunday's victory to go along with her 14 points. That was one shy of a season high, as she finished with nine assists in the second game of the year at Ball State. McNear is now within 18 assists of cracking the WKU career top 10, and has recorded no less than four in each of the last eight games. Those efforts have helped move her into a tie for first in the Sun Belt, averaging 4.5 assists per game.
