WKU Opens 2017-18 Regular Season at Hawkeye Challenge on Friday and Saturday

Hawkeye Challenge Game Notes | Missouri Live Audio | Live Stats

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - WKU is set to kick off the 2017-18 regular season with two bouts this weekend at the 2017 Hawkeye Challenge in Iowa City, Iowa, taking on No. 16/16 Missouri on Friday at 2:30 p.m. before battling either Iowa or RV/RV Quinnipiac on Saturday at either 2 p.m. or 4:30 p.m.

Under Michelle Clark-Heard, the Lady Toppers have knocked off a ranked opponent in each of the last two seasons (No. 16 Louisville in 2015-16 and No. 23 Indiana last season) and will have a chance to extend that streak to three straight years on Friday afternoon.

The Lady Toppers return their one-two punch of Preseason All-C-USA selections Tashia and Ivy Brown, along with C-USA All-Tournament Team choice Sidnee Bopp, Kayla Smith, Dee Givens, Malaka Frank and Whitney Creech.

Missouri is led by Head Coach Robin Pingeton and posted a 22-11 record in 2016-17, reaching the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers are led by Sophie Cunningham, who tallied 17.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game last season and also returns a second double-digit scorer in Cierra Porter (13.2). Porter was also the team's leading rebounder last season, pulling down 8.1 boards per outing.

Following the Hawkeye Challenge, WKU will return home on Tuesday at 7 p.m. to battle perennial powerhouse No. 6/5 Notre Dame inside E.A. Diddle Arena.

GAME #1 – WKU VS. NO. 16/16 MISSOURI
WKU (0-0, 0-0 C-USA) vs. No. 16/16 Missouri (0-0, 0-0 Southeastern)
November 10, 2017 | 2:30 p.m. (CT)
Iowa City, Iowa | Carver-Hawkeye Arena (15,400)

GAME #2 – WKU VS. IOWA OR RV/RV QUINNIPIAC
WKU (0-0, 0-0 C-USA) vs. Iowa (0-0, 0-0 Big Ten) OR RV/RV Quinnipiac (0-0, 0-0 MAAC)
November 11, 2017 | 2:00 p.m. OR 4:30 p.m (CT)
Iowa City, Iowa | Carver-Hawkeye Arena (15,400)

QUICK SHOTS
- WKU owns a 44-10 (.815) record in season openers during the modern era of the program and has posted a 4-1 record in season openers under Head Coach Michelle Clark-Heard. Last season, WKU defeated Alabama A&M, 96-32, inside E.A. Diddle Arena.

- WKU will be looking to knock off a ranked team for the third consecutive season on Friday afternoon against No. 16/16 Missouri. In 2015-16, WKU defeated No. 16 Louisville and followed that with a win over No. 23 Indiana last season.

- Tashia and Ivy Brown were selected as members of the 2017-18 Preseason All-C-USA Team, making WKU the only school with two different players selected. Both are coming off strong seasons that saw Ivy earn First Team All-C-USA honors, while Tashia was named to the All-C-USA Second Team in 2016-17.

- WKU was picked second in the Preseason C-USA Coaches' Poll with eight first-place votes. The Lady Toppers have been selected in the top three in all four seasons as a member of the league.

- Michelle Clark-Heard's 130 wins over her first five seasons with the program are the most in that category of any coach in school history, surpassing the legendary Paul Sanderford's mark of 127 from 1982-83 through 1986-87.

- Already 21st in program history with 1,331 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 432 points during her final season on The Hill.

- Over its first three seasons as a member of Conference USA, WKU has established itself as a formidable opponent against the league's 13 other teams. The Lady Toppers own a 47-7 mark against the rest of the league since joining and posted a 16-2 record last season.

- Preseason All-C-USA pick Ivy Brown returns as one of the top post players in the conference after averaging 13.1 points and 8.2 rebounds per game with eight double-doubles last season. Among all returning C-USA players, Brown is the lone individual who ranked in the top 15 in the league in both scoring (15th) and rebounding (fourth) last season.

- The breakout star of the 2017 C-USA Tournament, junior Sidnee Bopp exploded onto the scene by making 20 three-pointers over WKU's final five games in 2016-17, nearly doubling her entire career output up to that point. Bopp finished as C-USA's leader in three-point percentage (.442) last season, a number that was also the fifth-best single-season mark in WKU history.

- Jevin Redman, a recent graduate of the University of Southern Indiana with an already well-decorated play-by-play career, is set to make his regular season debut with WKU on Friday afternoon as the new Voice of the Lady Toppers.

BROADCAST
Listen: 102.7 FM and 1450AM in Bowling Green (Jevin Redman, pxp)
Watch: C-USA TV (Audio Only) / Big Ten Network Plus (only if WKU faces Iowa on Saturday)
Live Stats: Courtesy of Iowa Athletics

How to Follow the Lady Toppers: For complete information on WKU Lady Topper Basketball, visit WKUSports.com or follow the program via social media @LadyTopperHoops on Twitter, @LadyTopperHoops on Instagram and on Facebook at facebook.com/WKUWomensBasketball.

WKU Opens 2017-18 Regular Season at Hawkeye Challenge on Friday and Saturday

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Players Mentioned

Sidnee Bopp

Ivy Brown

Tashia Brown

Whitney Creech

Malaka Frank

Dee Givens

Kayla Smith