Tops Fall to Gonzaga in Vancouver Showcase Finale, 76-55

Saturday, November 24

Vancouver, Canada

1:30 p.m. CT

Western Kentucky University

2-6

Gonzaga

6-1

Western Kentucky

Gonzaga

11/24/2018 7:47:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Postgame Notes Box Score (PDF)

VANCOUVER – Lady Topper Basketball closed out play in the Vancouver Showcase with a 76-55 loss to Gonzaga on Saturday as the team finished 1-2 on the weekend for sixth place. Raneem Elgedawy and Dee Givens led WKU with 13 points each.

"At this point we've played four games in five days and traveled across the country and I think we were a little fatigued out there," head coach Greg Collins shared. "This was a good experience for us as we look at the conference tournament, where we'll look to play three games in three days."

WKU is now 2-6 on the season while the Bulldogs climb to 6-1 on the year. Saturday's meeting marked the first-ever game between the sides.

Gonzaga jumped ahead to an early 13-2 advantage to open the fifth-place game of the Vancouver Showcase. WKU began to work its way back, using a 5-0 run to cut the deficit to 16-10. The Lady Toppers trailed 19-12 at the quarter and saw Raneem Elgedawy put up seven points and five rebounds in eight minutes of action.

Quarter two saw WKU begin its comeback. Meral Abdelgawad knocked down a free throw to open the scoring before Dee Givens intercepted a Bulldog pass on the following possession and finished the layup to pull WKU within four at 19-15. Just over halfway through the quarter, Arame Niang hit a 3 pointer from the top of the key to make the score 24-20. From there the sides traded scores to a 32-26 halftime margin.

Out of halftime, Gonzaga outscored the Red and White 23-12 to push its lead to 55-38. The Zags went on to outscore WKU 21-17 over the final 10 minutes for the final score of 76-55.

Of the 10 Lady Toppers that saw action, nine put up points in the contest. Sherry Porter tallied six points and six rebounds while Alexis Brewer and Niang both added five.

Elgedawy and Givens' 13 points were game highs. Givens also added four rebounds, five steals and two assists in the loss.

Whitney Creech did a bit of everything for the Red and White, recording four points, four rebounds and a pair of steals.

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Lady Topper Basketball will have another short turn around as the squad returns home to host Morgan State on Wednesday in a 6 p.m. CT, tilt.

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.