Feb. 12, 2014
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. -WKU led by as many as 36, including a 33 point cushion at halftime, and coasted to a 93-66 win over Troy on Wednesday night at E.A. Diddle Arena.
VIDEO: Michelle Clark-Heard Press Conference
VIDEO: Kendall Noble and Micah Jones Press Conference
WKU (15-8, 7-5) had five players score in double figures, including redshirt freshman Kendall Noble's 26 points, junior All-America candidate Chastity Gooch's22 points, as the Lady Toppers completed a sweep of the Trojans for the fifth consecutive season and improved to 16-1 all-time against the Trojans, including a 9-0 mark in games played in Bowling Green.
Troy (8-14, 4-7) guard Joanna Harden, the nation's fourth leading scorer, had just two points before the WKU lead had reached 30 points late in the first half and was held without a field goal until the 19:36 mark of the second half. The Trojans were held to just 38.6 percent shooting for the game and had 24 turnovers, resulting in 37 WKU points.
After Gooch scored the game's opening four points, Troy responded with a 8-2 to take an 11-6 advantage, capped by a three-point play by Ashley Beverly-Kelley.
Following the early success for the Trojans, it was all WKU for the remainder of the first half as WKU outscored the Trojans 46-8 for the remaining 15:52 of the half after Bevery-Kelley's three-point play. WKU answered the early Trojan tear with a 22-2 run, including a 17-0 clip, capped by a three-pointer and basket from Jones to go up 28-13. After the teams split the next 12 points of the game, WKU scored the final 18 points of the half to post the 52-19 lead at halftime.
Jones had 17 points at the break while Gooch had 16 points and Noble had 14 for WKU. The Lady Toppers forced 15 first half turnovers, leading to 24 points off turnovers. WKU shot 47.6 percent in the opening stanza while holding Troy to just 28.0 percent from the field. WKU was dominant on the boards in the opening half, gaining a 30-12 advantage in rebounding and converting on 14 second chance points after grabbing 14 offensive boards before halftime.
Troy entered the game ranked first in the Sun Belt Conference in scoring and 20th in the nation at 80.2 points per game.
COMING UP NEXT:WKU returns to action in E.A. Diddle Arena on Saturday afternoon when the Lady Toppers host South Alabama at 2:00 p.m. CT. It is National Girls and Women in Sports Day in E.A. Diddle Arena with several events and presentations planned to mark the festivities. The first 500 fans at the game will receive a free pom-pom.
Among the planned presentations is a halftime recognition including individuals involved in the 40th anniversary of the rebirth of women's athletics at WKU. Among the individuals expected to be present are coach Betty Langley (tennis and golf), coach Ray Rose (gymnastics), Mary Blair (basketball), Brenda Chapman Strickler (tennis), Lee Davis (golf), Glenda Goff (basketball), Pam Moody Herriford (tennis, track and field), Toni Nedrow Dickens (track and field), Bonnie Owens (basketball), Jamie Sparks Goins (gymnastics), Patty Sue Sutherland (basketball) and Karen Watson Ray (track and field).
The game is also Big Red Rascal's Day and Daddy/Daughter Date Night. All members of Big Red's Rascals will receive a complimentary reserved ticket to the game and all friends and family may purchase additional tickets for just $5 each. All Father/Daughter couples will receive complimentary entry into the game and will be able sign up to participate in in-game contest for prizes.
Single-game tickets for the remainder of the 2013-14 season are currently available for purchase by contacting the WKU Ticket Office. For more information, visit www.wkusports.com, call 1-800-5-BIG-RED or visit the ticket office in E.A. Diddle Arena.
Tickets for the 2014 Men's and Women's Sun Belt Basketball Tournament are also on sale through the WKU Ticket Office. Each ticket book contains eight tickets. There are a total of eight sessions, with sessions 1-6 including two games and session seven being the Women's Championship and session eight being the Men's Championship. The ticket price is $99 and seats are general admission.
HOW TO FOLLOW THE LADY TOPPERS: For complete information on Lady Topper Basketball, visit www.wkusports.com, follow the program on Instagram via "LadyTopperHoops" or follow the program on Twitter via @LadyTopperHoops. The official twitter hashtag of the 2013-14 season for Lady Topper Basketball is #ClimbingTheLadder.
