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BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - WKU is set to host Marshall inside E.A. Diddle Arena on Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. in its annual Play4Kay Pink Game. Saturday's meeting will be the second between the Lady Toppers and Thundering Herd this season, with WKU winning the first in Huntington, 86-66, on Jan. 21.
In its last game on Thursday night, WKU extended its winning streak to five games over archrival Middle Tennessee with a 76-60 win in Murfreesboro. Ivy Brown had an 18-point, 11-rebound double-double, and Dee Givens had a strong all-around game with 19 points, eight rebounds and four blocks as the Lady Toppers led by double digits for the entire second half.
Tashia Brown leads all C-USA players with 22.8 points per game and fellow preseason All-C-USA pick Ivy Brown is averaging a double-double at 15.9 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. The pair have combined to score just over 50 percent of WKU's points this season with 969 total points between the duo.
Shayna Gore leads Marshall with 19.7 points per game and is joined in double figures by Talequia Hamilton (14.9). Kristen Mayo has dished out a team-best 72 assists, while Hamilton is the Thundering Herd's leading rebounder at 7.1 boards per contest.
WKU will remain inside Diddle for its final home game of the 2017-18 next Friday against Charlotte at 7 p.m., with Tashia and Ivy Brown being honored postgame for Senior Night.
GAME #26 / C-USA GAME #13 – WKU VS. MARSHALL
WKU (19-6, 10-2 C-USA) vs. Marshall (8-17, 2-10 C-USA)
February 17, 2018 | 2:00 p.m. (CT)
Bowling Green, Ky. | E.A. Diddle Arena (7,326)
QUICK SHOTS
- As of Feb. 16, WKU is ranked No. 43 in the latest NCAA RPI rankings and has faced four teams in the top 45 in Notre Dame, Missouri, Iowa and Ball State. WKU is one of only three C-USA representatives in the top 100 of the rankings, with UAB second at No. 68 and Rice third at No. 93.
- A win on Saturday afternoon would be Michelle Clark-Heard's 150th win as the head coach of the Lady Toppers. Should the Lady Toppers win, Clark-Heard would have 150 victories in 195 games at the helm of the program, maintaining almost the exact same pace as legendary former Lady Topper coach Paul Sanderford, who won 150 games in his first 194 outings with the team.
- With a win on Saturday afternoon, WKU would extend its winning streak in C-USA home games to 18 straight wins, the Lady Toppers' longest streak in the category since winning 19 straight from Jan. 9, 1992, through Feb. 20, 1994.
- WKU and Marshall will be meeting for the ninth time since 2014-15, with WKU holding a 7-1 edge in the series since both have been members of C-USA.
- Over its last five games dating back to Jan. 28 at Louisiana Tech, WKU's bench has averaged 19 points per game, including a season-best 29 points at Middle Tennessee on Feb. 15. In C-USA play, WKU's bench has scored 20 or more points in five of the Lady Toppers' 12 outings.
- WKU has knocked down 143 of its 406 three-pointers this season (35.2 percent), a mark that currently ranks ninth on the program's single-season charts and the best percentage for a single season since 2002-03. Both Sidnee Bopp (.441, 30-of-68) and Ivy Brown (.402, 45-of-112) have knocked down more than 40 percent of their triples this season.
- Since C-USA play began, Dee Givens has crafted a strong case for C-USA Sixth Player of the Year, reaching double figures in all but four of WKU's 12 conference games. The redshirt sophomore is averaging 11.3 points per game in C-USA play, up a tick from her 9.2 per game across all games this season. Givens also picked up her first career double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds against FIU on Jan. 11 and had one of the best all-around performances of her career at Middle Tennessee on Feb. 15 with 19 points, eight rebounds and four blocks.
- Ivy Brown enters Saturday's game as the only Division I player in the nation averaging 15 points, 10 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game. Brown also has 13 points-rebounds double-doubles this season, tied for 15th in the country.
- WKU owns an impressive record under Clark-Heard when breaking the 80-point barrier. The Lady Toppers have posted a near-perfect 55-3 mark when scoring 80 or more since the 2012-13 season; this season, WKU has scored 80 or more points nine times.
- WKU's 23-0 run against Florida Atlantic on Feb. 3 was the team's longest unanswered run since a pair of runs (27-0 and 37-0) against Lipscomb on Dec. 15, 2016, a game that saw WKU set the NCAA record for fewest points allowed in a half by holding Lipscomb to two first-half points. WKU outscored Florida Atlantic 32-12 in the second quarter, its second-most points in a single frame since moving to the system in 2015-16.
- Tashia Brown continued her attack on WKU's all-time scoring list on Feb. 15 at Middle Tennessee despite attempting a season-low seven shots, scoring 14 points to move into sole possession of fifth place with 1,902 career points. Brown is on pace to be just the fourth Lady Topper to score 2,000 career points, joining Crystal Kelly, Lillie Mason and Tiffany Porter-Talbert. Brown has also climbed into the top 10 in C-USA history in scoring.
- On Jan. 31, Tashia Brown was named one of the 10 finalists for the Cheryl Miller Award presented to the best small forward in the nation, becoming the first player in C-USA history to earn the honor. Of the 10 finalists, Brown owns the most points per game this season (22.8) and defeated fellow finalist Sophie Cunningham of Missouri in a head-to-head matchup while scoring 30 points in that outing. Brown has averaged 21.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists against Power 5 opponents this season.
- When holding opponents under 70 points this season, WKU owns a perfect 18-0 record and is 123-13 (.904) in that category dating back to the 2012-13 season. The Lady Toppers have held 10 of their 12 C-USA opponents to fewer than 70 points.
- With her 10th double-double of the season at Marshall on Jan. 21, Ivy Brown joined an elite group of just six Lady Toppers with multiple seasons of double-digit double-doubles. Brown notched 10 double-doubles as a sophomore in 2015-16 and has already surpassed that mark thus far as a senior.
- Tashia Brown leads C-USA and is sixth among all players in the nation with 22.8 points per game in 2017-18. Brown has not scored fewer than 13 points in any single game this season and has moved into the top 10 in school history in field goals made (sixth, 717) and free throws made (seventh, 415). Brown also now holds the school record for field goals attempted for her career with 1,690. Brown has also moved into the top 10 in attempted free throws (seventh, 570).
- WKU has flashed its defensive prowess consistently this season, holding opponents to single-digit points in a quarter 12 times. For the season, opponents have failed to reach double digits in 13.6 percent of quarters played against the Lady Toppers.
- Through 25 games, Ivy Brown has broken into the top 10 in rebounding in school history, ranking seventh all-time with 917 boards. The Hodgenville, Ky., native is also fifth in school history with 140 blocks and her 80.1 percent mark from the free throw line for her career is sixth among all Lady Toppers who have made at least 200 free throws. Brown's 917 career rebounds also rank 15th in C-USA history.
- Through 25 games, WKU leads all C-USA teams and ranks eighth nationally for the fewest turnovers per game, giving up the ball only 11.6 times per contest. The Lady Toppers have had single-digit turnovers in 11 games this season and lead the league in turnover margin at +6.8 per game.
- WKU is currently shooting 391-of-509 (.768) from the free throw line this season, with only five players shooting below 80 percent among those who have attempted at least five free throws. The Lady Toppers' 391 made free throws lead all C-USA squads so far this season, and their 76.8 percent success rate tops the league and ranks 12th in the nation.
- WKU has been very strong at collecting its own misses this season. The Lady Toppers have pulled down a league-leading 16.5 offensive boards per game, and Ivy Brown leads all C-USA players with 4.4 offensive rebounds per game. WKU's 16.5 offensive boards also ranks 11th in the nation among Division I teams.
- 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 (25) and Sherry Porter (10) have been consistent starters for the Lady Toppers this season.
BROADCAST
Listen: 100.7FM in Bowling Green (Jevin Redman, pxp; John Butler, analysis)
Watch: C-USA TV (Online Stream)
Live Audio: C-USA TV (Online Audio)
Live Stats: Courtesy of WKU Athletics
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