Feb. 8, 2014
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - WKU shot just 28.6 percent and was unable to complete a late-comeback as the Lady Toppers fell 58-51 at the Jack Stephens Center on Saturday afternoon.
Junior Chastity Gooch had 17 points and seven rebounds while redshirt freshman Kendall Noble had 14 points for the Lady Toppers. UALR's Taylor Gault had a game high 22 points, hitting 10-of-25 shots from the field to lead the Trojans in the win.
UALR jumped out to an 8-2 advantage before the first media timeout and continued to build the lead to as many as 11 points before halftime. WKU cut the lead to 22-18 with 6:11 left before halftime after a pair of Gooch free throws, but would get no closer the rest of the game.
WKU looked like it might have another major comeback in them during the second half. WKU had rallied from a double digit deficit to win three times this season and seven times over the last two years.
Trailing by 16 at 43-27, a Gooch basket and a three-point field goal from Jones cut into the deficit and gave WKU momentum, but WKU has unable to cut anymore into the lead at that time. Later in the half, WKU trailed 51-35 with just over 5:38 left before a Noble three-point play and several free throws sparked WKU's last rally to end the game, resulting in a 16-7 run to close the contest as WKU was unable to get much offense going despite some late stops.
WKU showed life on the boards after being outrebounded in eight straight games. WKU won the battle of the boards 40-39, but gave up 11 second chance points on 12 offensive rebounds while converting just 18 points on 17 offensive rebounds of its own.
The game mirrored a 65-39 win for WKU on Jan. 15 over the Trojans. WKU held UALR to just 28.3 percent shooting in the game as WKU ran away with the 26-point win.
COMING UP NEXT: WKU returns home for a three-game homestand. The Lady Toppers open with Troy on Feb. 12 at 7:00 p.m. followed by a Feb. 15 game against South Alabama at 2:00 p.m. The game with Troy is Fan Appreciation Night at E.A. Diddle Arena with fans able to purchase game tickets for just $5. The game with South Alabama will mark the celebration of National Girls and Women in Sports Day at WKU. Girls in grades three through eight can participate in a gameday clinic. Registration is now open through the women's basketball page on WKUSports.com at http://bit.ly/1a8jLO0. WKU closes the homestand with a contest against ULM on Feb. 22 at 2:00 p.m. in conjunction with the annual Critter Classic. All three games during the homestand will be available nationally on television through ESPN3 via the Hilltopper Sports Satellite Network.
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.
