WKU Game Notes (PDF) | Live Stream (ESPN3) | Live Audio | Live Stats
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – With final exams and the fall semester in the books, WKU will return to the court at 5 p.m. on Sunday evening as the Lady Toppers square off against Ball State for the sixth time in as many seasons. In the last five years, the host team has come away with the victory each season, and WKU will look to continue that trend inside Diddle Arena against the Cardinals.
Sunday's game is the second half of a doubleheader that sees the Hilltopper Basketball team take on Troy ahead of the women's game. Lady Topper Basketball season ticket holders will have first priority to their seats for the Ball State matchup, but fans who purchase a ticket for the men's game against Troy are encouraged to stay for free to watch the women's contest.
In WKU's last time out, the Lady Toppers overcame a shaky first quarter to cruise past Bellarmine, 95-57, inside Diddle last Saturday afternoon. Five Lady Toppers reached double figures in scoring, led by 22 points from Dee Givens and 19 from Alexis Brewer.
With only 14 blocked shots entering the game against the Knights, WKU nearly doubled that total last Saturday, coming away with nine blocks. The Lady Toppers also shot 55 percent (33-of-60), their best shooting effort in a single game this season thus far.
Ball State comes into Sunday's clash with a 2-7 overall record, and the Cardinals have dropped six of their last seven contests. Oshlynn Brown leads Ball State in both points (11.1) and rebounds (7.9) per game, and Jasmin Samz has dished out a team-best 26 assists through nine games. The Cardinals are shooting just 25.5 percent (41-of-161) from three-point range.
After Sunday's bout, WKU will make the trip to South Bend, Ind., to face No. 2/2 Notre Dame on Wednesday evening at 6 p.m. in its last game before the holiday break.
GAME #12 – WKU VS. BALL STATE
WKU (5-6, 0-0 C-USA) vs. Ball State (2-7, 0-0 Mid-American)
December 16, 2018 | 5:00 p.m.
Bowling Green, Ky. | E.A. Diddle Arena (7,523)
QUICK SHOTS
- WKU's nine blocks against Bellarmine were its most in a single game since having 10 against UTSA on Jan. 18, 2018, last season. The block total was also tied for the seventh-most in a single game in program history.
- WKU and Ball State will be meeting for the sixth time in as many seasons, with the home team claiming the win in each of the last five years. The Cardinals are the only team that the Lady Toppers have faced every year since 2013-14.
- After surrendering 90 or more points in its first four games, WKU's defense has not allowed more than 76 points in a single game since then. The Lady Toppers have also held each of their last three opponents below 60 points; WKU has won 42 straight games when limiting opponents to fewer than 60 points.
- Dating back to the Oregon State game on Nov. 22, Dee Givens has connected on 36 consecutive free throws and was 8-for-8 against Bellarmine. Givens' .929 (52-of-56) percentage leads the nation among all Division I players who have attempted at least 50 free throws this season.
- WKU moved one step closer to the 1,000-win plateau with its victory against Bellarmine last Saturday. The Lady Toppers now sit just 11 wins shy of becoming the 10th program in Division I history to reach that mark.
- Dee Givens tallied 22 more points against Bellarmine and has scored 20 or more points in seven games this season, already the highest total of her career. Givens has also hit the 20-point mark in each of the last three games.
- Under Greg Collins, WKU has featured a revamped, fast-paced offensive attack this season and is averaging 77.5 points per game through 11 contests. Should WKU average at least 75 points per game this season, the Lady Toppers will have hit that mark in four of the five most recent seasons after previously not doing so since 2004-05.
- After winning C-USA Sixth Player of the Year last season, Dee Givens has stepped up in a big way for the Lady Toppers, moving into the starting lineup and averaging 19.6 points through 11 games this season. The redshirt junior is averaging one point every 93.1 seconds that she has been on the court, slightly faster than 2018 C-USA Player of the Year Tashia Brown.
- WKU's defense has pressured all 11 of its opponents into double-digit turnovers thus far on the season. Through 11 games, the Lady Toppers have forced an average of 17.1 turnovers per game to open the 2018-19 season.
- Through 11 games, Raneem Elgedawy and Meral Abdelgawad have combined to score 264 of WKU's 853 points, just under a third of the team's total. In addition to their scoring, the duo has combined for 121 rebounds, also just under a third of the team's total of 387.
- Through 11 games this season, WKU has significantly raised its three-point shooting percentage from last season, knocking down 80 of its 212 (37.7 percent) attempts thus far. Last season, the Lady Toppers were 34.8 percent from beyond the arc. The current 37.7 percent mark would rank fifth in program history for a single season, the highest since a 40.2 percent mark in 1992-93.
- Despite its rally falling just short at Oklahoma on Nov. 10, WKU scored its most points in a single quarter since moving to the system in 2015-16, netting 35 points in the fourth frame against the Sooners. The 35 points were WKU's most since setting the previous record of 33 points in the fourth quarter against Dayton in the WNIT on March 17, 2016.
- The Lady Toppers were picked fourth in the preseason C-USA coaches' poll, but have met or exceeded their expectations in each of the last two years. In 2016-17, WKU won the tournament title after being picked first, and repeated as champions in 2017-18 after a second-place pick.
- Over its first four seasons as a member of Conference USA, WKU owns a 59-11 mark against the rest of the league since joining and posted a 12-4 record last season.
- WKU put together an 11-1 record inside Diddle Arena last season and has posted a 77-14 record inside the friendly confines of its home arena since Greg Collins has been with the program in 2012-13. The Lady Toppers earned their third straight home victory last Saturday, defeating Bellarmine, 95-57, inside Diddle Arena.
- WKU enters the 2018-19 season having had only five international letterwinners in program history, including sophomore Raneem Elgedawy. This year, the Lady Toppers will sport three international student-athletes on the roster, with Arame Niang and Meral Abdelgawad joining Elgedawy on The Hill.
- Since becoming a member of C-USA prior to the 2014-15 campaign, WKU has posted a 33-2 record against conference foes inside Diddle Arena, never losing more than one game in a single season. The Lady Toppers currently own a 19-game home winning streak in conference play dating all the way back to a 62-51 win over Middle Tennessee on Feb. 25, 2016.
- In its four seasons as a C-USA member, WKU has claimed a pair of regular season titles and has won the conference tournament three times, including back-to-back wins in both 2017 and 2018. WKU is only the second school in C-USA history to claim back-to-back tournament titles as a league member, joining former member Tulane, who won three straight from 1999-2001.
- In each of Greg Collins' six previous years on WKU's bench, the Lady Toppers have had 20 or more victories, with the team looking to extend that streak in 2018-19. WKU's current streak of six 20-win seasons is its second-longest in program history, trailing only seven straight from 1982-83 to 1988-89 during the Paul Sanderford era. In WKU's modern era (since 1973-74), five of the 10 head coaches have captured 20-win seasons in their debut years on The Hill, most recently with Michelle Clark-Heard's 22 wins in 2012-13.
BROADCAST
Listen: 102.7FM, 1450AM in Bowling Green (Brett Williams, pxp; John Butler, analysis)
Live Stream: ESPN3 (Online Stream), WKU PBS (Jeff Younglove, pxp; Paul Sanderford, analysis)
Live Audio: C-USA TV (Online Audio)
Live Stats: Courtesy of WKU Athletics
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