After a week off, the Western Kentucky University women's basketball team returns home Saturday to host South Alabama at 4 p.m. (CST) in the first game of a doubleheader at E.A. Diddle Arena.
WKU will wear pink jerseys as part of the WBCA's Play4Kay campaign, helping raise aware for breast cancer research and the Kay Yow Cancer Fund.
Additionally, WKU will recogize the 1985, 1986 and 1992 Lady Topper Final Four teams at halftime of both games.
Play4Kay Day Set For Saturday - As the calendar turns to February, women's basketball teams across the country will spend the month helping raise breast cancer awareness through the WBCA's Kay Yow Fund. For 2012 and beyond, the WBCA Pink Zone has been rebranded as Play 4Kay. The mission of the initiative, which was brought to life in 2007, will remain intact: a nation of coaches raising breast cancer awareness on the court, across campuses, in communities and beyond. The Kay Yow Cancer Fund will continue to be the official charity of the initiative. Again this year, WKU will don pink jerseys for Saturday game with South Alabama. The Lady Toppers are yet to lose when wearing the pink unis.
Obafemi Finds The Touch - Senior guard Vanessa Obafemi regained her outside shooting former during WKU's trip to Florida last week. She finished the two games a combined 6-for-11 from three-point range. Heading into the week, Obafemi had connected on just six shots from long range in the previous six games. Against FIU, she finished with a team-high 14 points - her first double-digit effort since tossing in 10 against Louisiana-Lafayette back on Jan. 4. Obafemi also averaged 36.5 minutes per game in the two outings.
Govan Continues To Play Strong - Freshman guard Alexis Govan came off the bench to equal a career high with 11 points last Saturday at FIU. Govan accouted for a third on WKU's free throw attempts in the game, finishing 5-for-7 at the stripe. She also dished out a team-high four assists in 32 minutes of action. In the last four games, Govan has averaged 27.3 minutes per game, contributing nearly seven points per game over that stretch.
Owens Keeps Producing - Senior forward LaTeira Owens produced her fifth straight double-digit game on Saturday, tossing in 12 points on 6-for-11 shooting against FIU. Owens has scored in double figured 34 times in her Lady Topper career, but this is the first time she has done so in five straight contests. Over the five games, Owens is averaging 16.2 points and 10.2 rebounds per game, while shooting over 50 percent from the field. She has tallied 81 points over those five game - 40 more than any other Lady Topper.
Hitting The Home Stretch - Saturday's game with South Alabama marks the beginning of the final month of the 2011-12 regular season. With seven games remaining, WKU finds itself 3.5 games out of second place in the East Division. The top two teams in each division receive a first-round bye in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament. Six of the Lady Toppers' last seven games will be against East Division foes. Over the last nine seasons, WKU is a combined 53-14 in February.
