WKU Posts Wire-to-Wire 76-60 Rivalry Win at Middle Tennessee

Thursday, February 15

Murfreesboro, Tenn.

6:30 P.M. CT

Western Kentucky University

19-6, 10-2

Middle Tennessee

15-10, 7-5

WKU

Middle Tennessee

WKU Posts Wire-to-Wire 76-60 Rivalry Win at Middle Tennessee

2/15/2018 9:42:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Postgame Notes (PDF)

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – WKU never trailed and had big performances from Dee Givens (19 points), Ivy Brown (18 points and 11 rebounds) and Tashia Brown (14 points) as the Lady Toppers won their fifth straight rivalry clash against Middle Tennessee, 76-60, inside the Murphy Center on Thursday evening.

The Lady Toppers (19-6, 10-2 C-USA) also won back-to-back games in Murfreesboro for the first time since winning three straight on the road against the Blue Raiders from Dec. 2, 1986, through Jan. 15, 1993. WKU limited Middle Tennessee (15-10, 7-5 C-USA) to just 36.7 percent (18-of-49) shooting from the field and outscored the Blue Raiders in all four quarters of Thursday's battle.

Givens had her best scoring effort against a C-USA opponent in her career with 19 points on 6-of-11 shooting, including a 3-of-7 mark from beyond the arc; the redshirt sophomore also added eight rebounds and four blocks in a strong all-around effort. Ivy Brown collected her 13th double-double of the season with 18 points and 11 boards, and Tashia Brown added 14 points on just seven attempted field goals on the night.

Alex Johnson, the C-USA Preseason Player of the Year who missed the first meeting against WKU this season, had a team-best 18 points for Middle Tennessee. Anna Jones added 13 points and Jess Louro rounded out the trio in double figures with 10 points. WKU forced 20 turnovers against the Blue Raiders, converting those chances into 13 points.

After battling tightly over the first four minutes of the game, WKU broke away with five unanswered points. Ivy Brown knocked down an open three-pointer at the 5:49 mark, and Sherry Porter pulled up and knocked down a jumper just under 90 seconds later to extend the WKU lead to 10-3 early on over the Blue Raiders.

Middle Tennessee managed to cut the Lady Topper lead back to two points, but another late run of four straight points over the final two minutes, again sparked by a Porter jumper, gave WKU a 17-10 advantage after the first quarter of play.

Over the first two and a half minutes of the second quarter, the Blue Raiders pulled within one point after a quick 6-0 burst. All six of Middle Tennessee's points during the run came on a pair of three-point plays by Jones and Johnson and cut WKU's lead to just a single point, 17-16.

WKU would not allow Middle Tennessee any closer than that over the remainder of the first half, however. Behind a 10-1 run, WKU pushed its lead to double digits for the first time on a free throw by Terri Smith with 4:01 on the clock; despite briefly slipping back into single digits, the Lady Toppers carried a 40-29 lead into the halftime break.

Throughout the third quarter, the Lady Toppers never led by fewer than the nine-point lead that they began the frame with, and WKU pushed its advantage to as many as 18 points on two different occasions. Middle Tennessee used a quick 5-0 run by Johnson midway through the quarter to pull within 13 points, but the stout Lady Topper defense kept the advantage in double digits heading into the final 10 minutes.

Despite climbing with 13 points several times in the fourth quarter, Middle Tennessee never managed to cut the WKU lead to single digits. The Lady Toppers were a perfect 7-for-7 from the charity stripe over the final 1:40 of play to deny any late comeback attempt by the Blue Raiders, and WKU held on to claim its second straight season sweep of Middle Tennessee.

Following Thursday's game, WKU will return home to E.A. Diddle Arena on Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. as the Lady Toppers welcome Marshall for their annual Play4Kay Pink Game. All fans are encouraged to wear pink and are welcomed to make their pledge to the Lady Toppers' Play4Kay Free Throw Challenge, and breast cancer survivors will be honored at halftime of the contest.