Lady Toppers Wrap Up Regular Season at UTEP Saturday

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - In its regular season finale on Saturday afternoon, WKU can clinch at least a share of the 2017-18 C-USA regular season championship inside the Don Haskins Center against UTEP at 2 p.m. (CT) with a victory or a UAB loss at UTSA.

On Thursday, WKU twice rallied from double-digit deficits at Southern Miss, erasing a 12-point deficit in the first half and a 13-point hole in the second half, but the furious comeback fell just short as the Lady Toppers fell, 69-63. Ivy Brown finished with a game-high 20 points and 13 rebounds and also added five steals and a pair of blocks on the night.

WKU and UTEP are meeting for the first time this season and for just the fourth time since the two have been members of C-USA. In the lone meeting last season, the Lady Toppers earned a 71-54 win over the Miners in El Paso; the all-time series between the two sides is tied at 2-2 dating back to a UTEP win in the NCAA Tournament at the end of the 2007-08 season.

Tamara Seda leads the Miners in both scoring and rebounding at 14.5 points and 9.3 boards per game. Faith Cook has dished out a team-best 88 assists on the year, and UTEP enjoys a +7.9 rebounding margin, the best mark in C-USA this season.

In next week's C-USA Tournament, WKU will be the No. 1 seed with a win and a UAB loss on Saturday and will take the No. 2 seed in any other scenario and will open play on Thursday.

GAME #29 / C-USA GAME #16 – WKU AT UTEP
WKU (21-7, 12-3 C-USA) at UTEP (15-13, 6-9 C-USA)
March 3, 2018 | 2:00 p.m. (CT)
El Paso, Texas | Don Haskins Center (12,000)

QUICK SHOTS
- As of March 2, WKU is ranked No. 50 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 two C-USA representatives in the top 100 of the rankings, with UAB second at No. 80.

- WKU has already clinched a first-round bye in next week's C-USA Tournament, with the Lady Toppers unable to finish with anything less than the No. 2 seed. With a win on Saturday afternoon, WKU would clinch at least a share of the C-USA regular season title; the Lady Toppers won the regular season crown outright in two of its first three seasons as a member of the league.

- 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 151 wins, 44 have come by 20 or more points and 16 have been by 30 or more.

- WKU and UTEP will be meeting for just the fifth time in program history and fourth since both have been members of C-USA. The overall series is tied, and WKU holds a 2-1 edge, including a perfect 2-0 mark in El Paso, in C-USA action.

- With 14 points at Southern Miss, Tashia Brown now sits just 25 points shy of joining WKU's 2,000-point club with 1,975 points. Brown has scored 644 points this season, the seventh-most in a single season in WKU history.

- For the entire season, WKU has now made as many free throws as its opponents have attempted. The Lady Toppers have hit 439 free throws and their opponents have attempted the same number. The Lady Toppers own a +112 mark from the charity stripe this season and knock down 77.3 percent of their chances to just 74.5 percent for their opponents.

- WKU has flashed its defensive prowess consistently this season, holding opponents to single-digit points in a quarter 15 times. For the season, opponents have failed to reach double digits in 13.4 percent of quarters played against the Lady Toppers.

- When holding opponents under 70 points this season, WKU owns a near-perfect 20-1 record and is 125-14 (.899) in that category dating back to the 2012-13 season. The Lady Toppers have held 13 of their 15 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.

- Ivy and Tashia Brown have combined to win 105 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 is currently shooting 439-of-568 (.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' 439 made free throws lead all C-USA squads so far this season, and their 77.3 percent success rate tops the league and ranks seventh in the nation.

- 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 six of WKU's 15 conference games. The redshirt sophomore is averaging 10.8 points per game in C-USA play, up a tick from her 9.1 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, 10.0 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game. Brown also has 15 points-rebounds double-doubles this season, tied for 21st 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 56-3 mark when scoring 80 or more since the 2012-13 season; this season, WKU has scored 80 or more points 10 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 leads C-USA and is sixth among all players in the nation with 23.0 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 (fifth, 744) and free throws made (sixth, 433). Brown also now holds the school record for field goals attempted for her career with 1,758. Brown has also moved into the top 10 in attempted free throws (seventh, 593).

- Through 28 games, Ivy Brown has broken into the top 10 in rebounding in school history, ranking seventh all-time with 945 boards. The Hodgenville, Ky., native is also fifth in school history with 143 blocks and her 80.0 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 945 career rebounds also rank 15th in C-USA history.

- Through 28 games, WKU leads all C-USA teams and ranks seventh nationally for the fewest turnovers per game, giving up the ball only 11.5 times per contest. The Lady Toppers have had single-digit turnovers in 11 games this season and lead the league in turnover margin at +6.9 per game.

- WKU is currently shooting 439-of-568 (.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' 439 made free throws lead all C-USA squads so far this season, and their 77.3 percent success rate tops the league and ranks seventh in the nation.

- WKU has been very strong at collecting its own misses this season. The Lady Toppers have pulled down a league-leading 16.8 offensive boards per game, and Ivy Brown leads all C-USA players with 4.3 offensive rebounds per game. WKU's 16.8 offensive boards also ranks seventh 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 (28) and Sherry Porter (10) have been consistent starters for the Lady Toppers this season.

BROADCAST
Listen: 100.7FM in Bowling Green (Jevin Redman, pxp)
Watch: C-USA TV (Online Stream)
Live Audio: C-USA TV (Online Audio)
Live Stats: Courtesy of UTEP Athletics

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Ivy Brown

Tashia Brown

Raneem Elgedawy

Dee Givens

Sherry Porter

Sarah Price

Kayla Smith