March 11, 2014
- WKU opens the 2014 Sun Belt Conference Championships in search of their 10th tournament championship. WKU most recently won the tournament title in 2008 to earn the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. WKU also won titles in 1986, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995.
- The Lady Toppers have a seven-game winning streak entering the Sun Belt Conference Championships. It marks just the fourth time in program history that WKU has entered the postseason with a winning streak of seven games or larger. WKU had an 11-game streak in 2002-03 and 2005-06 while posting an eight-game streak in 1986-87.
- WKU is the first team in Sun Belt Conference history to win 20 games in consecutive seasons following a season in which the team won less than 10 games. WKU was 9-21 in 2011-12 before rebounding to post a 22-11 record in 2012-13 and a 21-8 record this season.
- Junior All-America candidate Chastity Gooch surpassed the 500-point mark for the season in WKU's regular season finale win over Georgia State on March 8, 2014. Gooch became just the fourth player to record 500 points as both a sophomore and junior in program history, joining Crystal Kelly, Tiffany Porter-Talbert and Lillie Mason on the elite list of players. She also becomes just the ninth player in the combined Lady Topper and Hilltopper Basketball program history to reach the mark. WKU Hilltopper Basketball players to reach the mark include Jim McDaniels, current NBA star Courtney Lee, Ralph Crosthwaite, Brett McNeal and Clem Haskins.
- WKU has caused much chaos of its opponents during its recent seven-game winning streak, forcing at least 16 turnovers in each of the seven games during the streak. In addition, WKU has forced at least 19 turnovers in six of the last seven games, including tying the season high of 28 forced turnovers against Georgia State on March 8, 2014.
- WKU will participate in the Sun Belt Conference Championships in the city of New Orleans for the second time in program history. WKU reached the semifinals of the 2002 tournament in New Orleans.
Gooch (DPOY), Noble (FOY), Jones Take Home Postseason Honors from @The_Sun_Belt. Details: http://t.co/E5s34pqwmv pic.twitter.com/1OenvJ89HZ
-- LadyTopperBasketball (@LadyTopperHoops) March 11, 2014 NEW ORLEANS, La. - WKU opens the 2014 Sun Belt Conference Championships in search of their 10th tournament championship as play begins on Wednesday, March 12, 2014 at Lakefront Arena in New Orleans, La. against Louisiana-Lafayette. WKU most recently won the tournament title in 2008 to earn the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. WKU also won titles in 1986, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995. The Lady Toppers have a seven-game winning streak entering the Sun Belt Conference Championships. It marks just the fourth time in program history that WKU has entered the postseason with a winning streak of seven games or larger. WKU had an 11-game streak in 2002-03 and 2005-06 while posting an eight-game streak in 1986-87.
WKU (21-8, 13-5) owns a league best 56 all-time tournament wins in the Sun Belt Conference Championships. WKU is 56-22 all-time in the league tournament in 30 appearances, having won 71.8 percent of its games in the league tournament
Junior All-America candidate Chastity Gooch and Freshman All-America candidate Kendall Noble have been the guiding forces for the Lady Toppers in league play. Gooch has averaged 19.7 points and 7.9 rebounds per game while Noble has posted 14.1 points and 5.5 rebounds while piling up 68 assists and 58 steals in 18 league games. Both are shooting over 50.0 percent from the field.
The duo picked up two major awards on Tuesday afternoon as Gooch was named the Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Year and Noble was named the Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year. In addition, Gooch was named a First Team All-Conference selection while Noble picked up second team honors and sophomore Micah Jones was named a Third Team selection.
WKU (21-8, 13-5) ended the regular season on Saturday with a 79-63 win over Georgia State in Atlanta as junior All-America candidate Chastity Gooch and freshman Bria Gaines combined for 44 points and 19 rebounds to lead the Lady Toppers.
Louisiana-Lafayette enters the postseason with a 14-15 record on the season after finishing 7-11 in league play.
WKU faced off against Louisiana-Lafayette twice during the 2013-14 season, winning 68-63 in Lafayette, La. on Jan. 25 and 80-71 in Bowling Green on March 5. The teams also met in last year's Sun Belt Conference Championship quarterfinals with WKU posting a 61-57 win in the game. WKU is 6-0 all-time against the Ragin' Cajuns in the tournament.
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.
