Lady Toppers Set for NCAA Tournament First Round Clash With No. 13/10 Oregon State

WKU Game Notes | Live Audio (C-USA TV) | Live Stats

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - For the fourth time in six seasons under Michelle Clark-Heard, WKU will make an appearance in the NCAA Tournament, battling No. 13/10 Oregon State inside Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tenn., on Friday morning at 11 a.m. (CT) for a spot in the second round.

WKU will be seeking its first NCAA Tournament victory since a 68-65 win over Marquette in the opening round on March 18, 2000. The Lady Toppers are 17-19 all-time in the NCAA Tournament and have made three Final Four appearances: WKU finished in the Final Four in 1985 and 1986 and reached the national championship game in 1992 against Stanford.

Last week, the Lady Toppers won all three of their C-USA Tournament games by double digits, accomplishing that feat for the second straight season. WKU defeated UTSA (78-50), North Texas (77-61) and UAB (72-57) en route to claiming its 13th conference tournament championship in program history.

WKU's powerful attack is led by four of the league's individual award winners: C-USA Player of the Year Tashia Brown, Defensive Player of the Year Ivy Brown, Freshman of the Year Raneem Elgedawy and Sixth Player of the Year Dee Givens.

Should the Lady Toppers win on Friday morning, they would advance to face either Tennessee or Liberty on Sunday, also inside Thompson-Boling Arena.

GAME #33 – WKU VS. NO. 13/10 OREGON STATE – NCAA TOURNAMENT FIRST ROUND
WKU (24-8, 12-4 C-USA) vs. No. 13/10 Oregon State (23-7, 14-4 Pac-12)
March 16, 2018 | 11:00 a.m. (CT)
Knoxville, Tenn. | Thompson-Boling Arena (21,678)

QUICK SHOTS
- WKU will be making its 20th appearance in the NCAA Tournament, the sixth-most among non-Power 5 programs across the nation; only Louisville (21) has more appearances among schools in Kentucky. The Lady Toppers have won at least one game in nine of their previous 19 appearances in the Big Dance.

- The Lady Toppers will be battling their 11th ranked opponent under Michelle Clark-Heard and have a 3-7 record in the previous 10 matchups. In the season opener this year, WKU took down then-No. 16 Missouri, 79-76, in the 2017 Hawkeye Challenge in Iowa City, Iowa.

- By capturing a No. 11 seed in this year's NCAA Tournament, the Lady Toppers secured their highest seed in the event since being a No. 10 seed in the 2008 NCAA Tournament. In its previous three appearances under Clark-Heard, WKU has been seeded 15th once and 12th twice.

- WKU has squared off against Oregon State just one other time in program history, with that meeting also coming in the NCAA Tournament on March 19, 1995. In that bout, the Lady Toppers hosted the Beavers inside E.A. Diddle Arena and came away with an 85-78 victory to advance. WKU will be playing its fifth NCAA Tournament game in Knoxville and owns a 1-3 record in the previous four games played during the event in the city.

- Against UTSA on March 8, Tashia Brown became the fourth member of WKU's 2,000-point club on a free throw midway through the second quarter, just one of her 725 points this season. Brown has also moved into seventh place in all-time scoring in C-USA history, and fellow senior Ivy Brown ranks 10th in conference history with 981 career rebounds. Tashia Brown joined former Lady Topper legends Crystal Kelly, Lillie Mason and Tiffany Porter-Talbert by reaching 2,000 career points.

- With Tashia Brown's C-USA Player of the Year and Ivy Brown's C-USA Defensive Player of the Year honors, WKU claimed its third sweep in four years in the categories. WKU is the only team in C-USA history to sweep both awards in the same season more than one time.

- Ivy and Tashia Brown have combined to win 108 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.

- WKU swept every individual award in which it had a player eligible, including Player of the Year (Tashia Brown), Defensive Player of the Year (Ivy Brown), Freshman of the Year (Raneem Elgedawy) and Sixth Player of the Year (Dee Givens). The Lady Toppers are the first program to sweep all four of those awards in the same season in C-USA history.

- With Ivy and Tashia Brown earning First Team All-C-USA accolades for the second time in their careers, WKU became the first school in C-USA history to have multiple First Teamers in four consecutive seasons. No other C-USA school has achieved that feat more than one time.

- WKU claimed its third C-USA Tournament championship in four seasons as a member of the league with wins over UTSA, North Texas and UAB last week. For the second straight season, WKU defeated all three foes by double digits, making the Lady Toppers the only program to accomplish that feat in league history.

- Whitney Creech broke out during the C-USA Tournament in Frisco, averaging nine points, 5.7 assists and two steals per game. Creech had 11 assists in the quarterfinal game against UTSA and finished with 16 points, four rebounds and four assists in the championship matchup against UAB.

- C-USA Player and Defensive Player of the Year Tashia and Ivy Brown have enjoyed two of the best individual seasons in WKU history this year, combining for 1,269 of WKU's 2,427 points (52.3 percent). Over WKU's last eight games dating back to the Feb. 15 bout at Middle Tennessee, the pair have combined to tally 332 of the team's 601 points (55.2 percent). The two are also WKU's only players averaging more than 30 minutes per game and have combined to attempt 993 of the squad's 2,037 shots (48.7 percent) on the year.

- 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 154 wins, 45 have come by 20 or more points and 16 have been by 30 or more.

- WKU has flashed its defensive prowess consistently this season, holding opponents to single-digit points in a quarter 17 times. For the season, opponents have failed to reach double digits in 13.3 percent of quarters played against the Lady Toppers.

- When holding opponents under 70 points this season, WKU owns a near-perfect 23-1 record and is 128-14 (.901) in that category dating back to the 2012-13 season. The Lady Toppers held 13 of their 16 C-USA opponents to fewer than 70 points.

- Tashia Brown tallied a career-best 38 points against Charlotte on Senior Night on Feb. 23, knocking down 14 of her 29 shots from the field. Brown's 14 field goals were tied for the sixth-most in a single game in school history, and her 29 attempts were tied for the second-most and were the most in a game for WKU since March 19, 2004.

- With its win over Marshall on Feb. 17, WKU has now won 20 or more games in all six seasons under Michelle Clark-Heard dating back to 2012-13. Only nine other non-Power 5 schools have accomplished that feat over the last six years.

- WKU is currently shooting 498-of-646 (.771) 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' 498 made free throws lead all C-USA squads so far this season, and their 77.1 percent success rate tops the league and ranks 12th in the nation.

- WKU owns an impressive record under Clark-Heard when breaking the 80-point barrier. The Lady Toppers have posted a near-perfect 56-3 mark when scoring 80 or more since the 2012-13 season; this season, WKU has scored 80 or more points 10 times.

- Tashia Brown leads C-USA and is sixth among all players in the nation with 22.7 points per game in 2017-18. Brown has not scored fewer than 12 points in any single game this season and has moved into the top 10 in school history in field goals made (fourth, 775) and free throws made (sixth, 452). Brown also now holds the school record for field goals attempted for her career with 1,838. Brown has also moved into the top 10 in attempted free throws (sixth, 622).

- Through 32 games, Ivy Brown has broken into the top 10 in rebounding in school history, ranking seventh all-time with 981 boards. The Hodgenville, Ky., native is also fifth in school history with 151 blocks and her 80.5 percent mark from the free throw line for her career is fifth among all Lady Toppers who have made at least 200 free throws. Brown's 981 career rebounds also rank 10th in C-USA history.

- Through 32 games, WKU leads all C-USA teams and ranks fifth nationally for the fewest turnovers per game, giving up the ball only 11.1 times per contest. The Lady Toppers have had single-digit turnovers in 14 games this season and lead the league in turnover margin at +6.8 per game.

- WKU has been very strong at collecting its own misses this season. The Lady Toppers have pulled down a league-leading 16.2 offensive boards per game, and Ivy Brown leads all C-USA players with 4.1 offensive rebounds per game. WKU's 16.2 offensive boards also ranks 13th 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 (32) and Sherry Porter (14) have been consistent starters for the Lady Toppers this season.

BROADCAST
Listen: 102.7FM or 1450AM in Bowling Green (Jevin Redman, pxp)
Watch: ESPN2 (Brenda VanLengen, pxp; Carol Ross, analysis)
Live Audio: C-USA TV (Online Audio)
Live Stats: Courtesy of the NCAA

Lady Toppers Set for NCAA Tournament First Round Clash With No. 13/10 Oregon State

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Players Mentioned

Ivy Brown

Tashia Brown

Whitney Creech

Raneem Elgedawy

Dee Givens

Sherry Porter

Sarah Price

Kayla Smith