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BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - WKU used a big fourth quarter and 27 points from C-USA Player of the Year Kendall Noble to overcome Dayton, 89-72, in the opening round of the WNIT on Thursday evening inside E.A. Diddle Arena.
With the win, the Lady Toppers advance to the second round and are set to face UT-Martin inside Diddle Arena on Monday at 7:00 p.m. (CT).
On her way to 27 points, Noble tallied the fourth-most free throws in a single game in program history, knocking down 17 of her 18 attempts from the charity stripe. The redshirt junior's 17 free throws were the most in a game for the Lady Toppers since all-time leading scorer Crystal Kelly had 18 against Denver in 2008.
Kayla Smith tallied a career-best 18 points and joined Noble as one of five Lady Toppers in double figures. Tashia Brown and Dee Givens each tallied 11 points, while Ima Akpan notched her first double-digit scoring game with WKU, finishing with 10 points.
For Dayton, Saicha Grant-Allen had a double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds, while JaVonna Layfield also added a double-double of 14 points and 12 boards. Jenna Burdette led the Flyers with 19 points.
WKU jumped out to an early 11-5 lead on the strength of a trio of three-pointers, including two from Ivy Brown, over the first three and a half minutes. Noble knocked down the third shot from beyond the arc and also assisted on both of Brown's baskets.
The Flyers answered with an 11-4 run over the next three minutes to take their first lead of the night. Four different players scored for Dayton during the stretch, including back-to-back three-pointers from Maddy Dennis. Layfield's free throw at the 3:01 mark gave the Flyers a 16-15 lead over the Lady Toppers.
Throughout the second quarter, neither side was able to build a lead of more than four points. The frame featured three lead changes and two ties as WKU finally gained some separation over the final minute. Noble scored the final eight points of the quarter for the Lady Toppers, who carried a 40-36 advantage into the halftime break.
Dayton opened the third quarter on an 8-0 run to take its largest lead of the night, going up 44-40 on a layup by Burdette with 7:45 on the lock. Burdette tallied all eight points during the run for the Flyers, including a pair of three-pointers to begin the half.
Despite briefly giving up the lead, WKU battled back with an 11-2 burst over the next five minutes to take the lead for good. Four different Lady Toppers found the bottom of the basket as Tashia Brown's four points sparked the run to put WKU ahead, 51-46.
The Lady Toppers would not relinquish their advantage the rest of the way, stretching their lead to as many as 19 points with just over three minutes remaining. Ultimately, WKU held off Dayton down the stretch to take the 89-72 decision.
WKU will return to action as the Lady Toppers host UT-Martin in the second round of the WNIT on Monday evening at 7:00 p.m. (CT). WKU will be meeting the Skyhawks for the first time since an 81-63 victory on Jan. 6, 1981, and leads the all-time series 4-0.
