Lady Toppers Back at Home Against Evansville Thursday Evening

WKU Game Notes | Live Stream (C-USA TV) ($) | Live Audio | Live Stats

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - Fresh off its championship at the Georgia State Thanksgiving Classic, WKU will return to E.A. Diddle Arena for the first time in 16 days as the Lady Toppers host regional foe Evansville on Thursday evening at 7 p.m.

In its last time out, WKU won a pair of tight decisions against Mercer and Georgia State to capture its fifth in-season tournament crown in the last six seasons at the Georgia State Thanksgiving Classic. The Lady Toppers rallied from second-half deficits in each game, including trailing Mercer with just over 90 seconds remaining, to build their first winning streak of the year.

Tashia Brown (22.2 points per game) leads all C-USA players in scoring, and Ivy Brown notched back-to-back double-doubles against the Bears and Panthers in Atlanta.

Evansville (2-2) enters Thursday's matchup with a trio of players in double figures: Hannah Noe (16.8), Brooke Dossett (15.5) and Kerri Gasper (12.3). Kelsi Scott is the team's leading rebounder at a 6.5 per game clip, and Dossett, Gasper and Macie Lively have each dished out 15 assists apiece to lead the Purple Aces.

Following Thursday's game, WKU will take a week-long break for exams before returning to the court at Southern Illinois on Sunday, Dec. 10, at 2 p.m.

GAME #7 – WKU VS. EVANSVILLE
WKU (3-3, 0-0 C-USA) vs. Evansville (2-2, 0-0 Missouri Valley)
November 30, 2017 | 7:00 p.m. (CT)
Bowling Green, Ky. | E.A. Diddle Arena (7,326)

QUICK SHOTS
- With her first basket against Mercer last Friday, Ivy Brown became the 39th member of WKU's 1,000-point club. The former Kentucky Miss Basketball also became just the 12th player in program history to record 20 career points-rebounds double-doubles by notching one against both Mercer and Georgia State.

- Tashia Brown leads C-USA and ranks 20th in the nation with her 22.2 points per game. At the GSU Thanksgiving Classic, Brown averaged 14.5 points in the second half alone and scored 20 of her 27 points against Georgia State in the second half.

- WKU is currently shooting 93-of-118 (.788) from the free throw line this season, with only one player shooting below 80 percent among those who have attempted at least one free throw. The Lady Toppers' 93 made free throws are the third-most among C-USA teams, and their 78.8 percent success rate tops the 14-member league.

- With two weekly awards (Tashia Brown's Player of the Week on Nov. 13 and Raneem Elgedawy's Freshman of the Week on Nov. 20) this season, WKU has already matched its total from the entire 2016-17 campaign.

- With its come-from-behind win at Georgia State, WKU continued a strong trend under Michelle Clark-Heard of being able to rally from large deficits. Since the beginning of the 2015-16 season, WKU owns 11 victories when trailing at the halftime break and four wins when down with five minutes to play in regulation.

- Already 14th in program history with 1,464 career points, Tashia Brown is looking to move even further up the charts during her senior season. To move into the top 10 in school history, Brown would need to score 299 more points during her final season on The Hill.

- With a win on Thursday evening, WKU would continue an impressive run under Michelle Clark-Heard in games played prior to January 1. The Lady Toppers are 52-16 (.765) in such games since the beginning of the 2012-13 campaign.

- WKU has been very strong at collecting its own misses this season and has tallied nearly as many offensive rebounds as those on the defensive end. The Lady Toppers have pulled down a league-leading 15.5 offensive boards per game, and Ivy Brown leads all C-USA players with 4.2 offensive rebounds per game.

- WKU has started a true freshman at least five times in each of the last four seasons. Tashia Brown earned five starts in 2014-15, Kayla Smith drew 31 starts in 2015-16, Sarah Price appeared in the starting lineup five times in 2016-17 and Raneem Elgedawy has started WKU's first six games this season.

- WKU owns an impressive record under Clark-Heard when breaking the 80-point barrier. The Lady Toppers have posted a near-perfect 48-2 mark when scoring 80 or more since the 2012-13 season.

- In games immediately following a loss since Michelle Clark-Heard took over in 2012-13, the Lady Toppers are 33-8 and suffered their first consecutive losses in the same season in nearly three years against Iowa and Notre Dame.

- Through six games, Ivy Brown is approaching the top 10 in program history in total rebounds, needing just 104 more boards to break into that group. The Hodgenville, Ky., native also ranks ninth in school history with 109 blocks and her 79.4 percent mark from the free throw line for her career is eighth among all Lady Toppers who have made at least 200 free throws.

BROADCAST
Listen: 102.7 FM and 1450AM in Bowling Green (Jevin Redman, pxp; John Butler, analysis)
Watch: C-USA TV (Online Stream) ($)
Live Stats: WKUSports.com

Lady Toppers Back at Home Against Evansville Thursday Evening

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Ivy Brown

Tashia Brown

Raneem Elgedawy

Kayla Smith