Lady Toppers to Host Charlotte for Friday's Senior Night

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BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - WKU will honor two of the greatest players in program history on Friday evening at 7 p.m. during Senior Night festivities against Charlotte, with Ivy and Tashia Brown set to play their final home game inside E.A. Diddle Arena. The duo will be honored in a postgame ceremony.

In its most recent game last Saturday, WKU overcame a sluggish opening quarter and outscored Marshall 39-14 over the second and third frame to earn a 77-50 victory. Ivy Brown tallied 26 points, 10 rebounds, five steals and four assists, and Tashia Brown chipped in 21 points, five boards and five steals to seal the win for the Lady Toppers.

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 16.3 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. The pair have combined to score just over 50 percent of WKU's points this season with 1,016 total points between the duo.

Laia Raventós paces Charlotte with 14.8 points per game and is joined in double figures by Octavia Wilson (11.3), Amaya Ransom (11.1) and Nyilah Jamison-Myers (10.8). Dara Pearson leads the team with 8.5 rebounds per game, and Raventós has dished out a team-best 147 assists.

WKU will go on the road for its final two regular season games next week, traveling to Southern Miss (Thursday at 6 p.m.) and UTEP (Saturday at 2 p.m.) to end the campaign.

GAME #27 / C-USA GAME #14 – WKU VS. CHARLOTTE
WKU (20-6, 11-2 C-USA) vs. Charlotte (12-13, 8-4 C-USA)
February 23, 2018 | 7:00 p.m. (CT)
Bowling Green, Ky. | E.A. Diddle Arena (7,326)

QUICK SHOTS
- As of Feb. 22, WKU is ranked No. 44 in the latest NCAA RPI rankings and has faced four teams in the top 40 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. 79 and Rice third at No. 91.

- Head Coach Michelle Clark-Heard earned her 150th win with the Lady Toppers against Marshall on Feb. 17, accomplishing the feat in just 195 total games with the program. Clark-Heard became the second-fastest Lady Topper coach to reach the mark, doing so just one game behind Paul Sanderford's mark of 194 contests. Of Clark-Heard's 150 wins, 43 have come by 20 or more points and 16 have been by 30 or more.

- With a win on Friday evening, WKU would extend its winning streak in C-USA home games to 19 straight wins, the Lady Toppers' longest streak in the category since also winning 19 straight from Jan. 9, 1992, through Feb. 20, 1994.

- WKU and Charlotte will be meeting for the eighth time since both have been members of C-USA, with WKU holding a 5-2 edge in those meetings. Overall, WKU leads the series 16-5 and owns a perfect 9-0 record against the 49ers in Bowling Green.

- WKU has already clinched a first-round bye in next month's C-USA Tournament, with the Lady Toppers unable to finish with anything less than the No. 4 seed. Should WKU win its final three regular season games, the Lady Toppers would be either the No. 1 or No. 2 seed in the tournament.

- WKU has flashed its defensive prowess consistently this season, holding opponents to single-digit points in a quarter 14 times. For the season, opponents have failed to reach double digits in 13.5 percent of quarters played against the Lady Toppers.

- When holding opponents under 70 points this season, WKU owns a perfect 19-0 record and is 124-13 (.905) in that category dating back to the 2012-13 season. The Lady Toppers have held 11 of their 13 C-USA opponents to fewer than 70 points.

- Ivy and Tashia Brown have combined to win 104 games during their four seasons on The Hill and are seeking to becoming the winningest senior class in WKU history. Traci Patton (1985-88) currently owns the record with 110 victories.

- Over its last six games dating back to Jan. 28 at Louisiana Tech, WKU's bench has averaged 18.2 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' 13 outings.

- WKU has knocked down 148 of its 422 three-pointers this season (35.1 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 (.429, 30-of-70) and Ivy Brown (.410, 48-of-117) 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 five of WKU's 13 conference games. The redshirt sophomore is averaging 11.2 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 Friday'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 14 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. 17 against Marshall, scoring 21 points to move within three points of fourth place on the list with 1,923 career points. Brown has also moved into 10th place in all-time scoring in C-USA history, and fellow senior Ivy Brown ranks 15th in conference history with 927 career rebounds. Tashia Brown is on pace to be just the fourth Lady Topper with 2,000 career points.

- 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.

- Tashia Brown leads C-USA and is seventh 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, 725) and free throws made (seventh, 420). Brown also now holds the school record for field goals attempted for her career with 1,709. Brown has also moved into the top 10 in attempted free throws (seventh, 575).

- Through 26 games, Ivy Brown has broken into the top 10 in rebounding in school history, ranking seventh all-time with 927 boards. The Hodgenville, Ky., native is also fifth in school history with 141 blocks and her 80.2 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 927 career rebounds also rank 15th in C-USA history.

- Through 26 games, WKU leads all C-USA teams and ranks eighth nationally for the fewest turnovers per game, giving up the ball only 11.7 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 405-of-524 (.773) 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' 405 made free throws lead all C-USA squads so far this season, and their 77.3 percent success rate tops the league and ranks eighth in the nation.

- WKU has been very strong at collecting its own misses this season. The Lady Toppers have pulled down a league-leading 16.6 offensive boards per game, and Ivy Brown leads all C-USA players with 4.3 offensive rebounds per game. WKU's 16.6 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 (26) 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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Players Mentioned

Sidnee Bopp

Ivy Brown

Tashia Brown

Raneem Elgedawy

Dee Givens

Sherry Porter

Sarah Price

Kayla Smith