Givens' 41 Points Lead WKU to Road Win at Ball State

Saturday, December 7

Muncie, Ind.

2:30 PM

Western Kentucky University

-72,00 CUSA

Ball State

4-4,0-0MAC

OT 1

Western Ky.

Ball St.

Photo by: Steve Roberts, WKU Athletics

12/7/2019 7:15:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

MUNCIE, Ind. — Dee Givens had a career night, leading the WKU women's basketball team to a 91-86 overtime win at Ball State on Saturday night. Givens poured in 41 points, breaking the Worthen Arena record that has been held for over 25 years.

Givens' 41 points are tied for the second most scoring in a game by a Lady Topper, tying Natalie Powers when she scored 41 against Middle Tennessee on Feb. 1, 2001. She was just one point shy of tying the all-time record held by Crystal Kelly who scored 42 against Louisiana-Monroe on Feb. 23, 2008. It was also the third most points scored by a NCAA Division I women's basketball player this season.

"It's special with all the time I've put in the gym this year and last year," said Givens. "I'm going to enjoy it today and then keep pushing for the next game."

WKU improves to 7-2 on the season, getting their first win against Ball State since the 2016-17 season and the first road victory against the Cardinals since 2009.

"It wasn't the prettiest game and it wasn't our best played game, but sometimes you just have to slug it through in these ugly games to get a win," said head coach Greg Collins. "I was really proud of them for coming back and being tough."

Ball State scored first, converting on an and-one opportunity. Sherry Porter evened things up with a corner 3-pointer. Whitney Creech led WKU to a lead on a layup, but the Cardinals didn't let the lead last long. The Cardinals responded with a 9-0 run ended by Givens on a contested layup. Givens scored five more points in the quarter to keep the Lady Toppers in it.

The Cardinals reached their largest lead in the second quarter, going ahead by eight. The two teams went back-and-forth, heading to halftime with a 43-38 score with Ball State ahead.

Fatou Pouye scored six-straight points to open the second half. A layup by Raneem Elgedawy put WKU ahead for the first time since the 7:17 mark of the first quarter. Ball State tied things up again, but a 3-pointer from Givens pushed the Lady Toppers back ahead. The teams repeated the same sequence in the next two possessions, with the Cardinals scoring a basket and Givens knocking down a three. WKU had a two-point lead heading into the final quarter.

Ball State came out of the break and knocked down a three to take a one-point lead, but Givens had a fast break layup to put WKU back ahead. The fourth quarter saw four lead changes and three ties, including the tied score at the buzzer sending the game to overtime. Givens had a nice look at the basket at the end of regulation, but the ball had an unfriendly roll and rolled out.

After a Cardinal free throw, the Lady Toppers went on a 7-0 run with back-to-back layups from Elgedawy and then a 3-pointer from Givens. WKU got it to a seven-point lead and ultimately won the game by five.

Besides Givens, the Lady Toppers had three others in double-figure scoring. Creech notched 15 points, her 10th straight game in double digits. Creech also had a season-high seven assists. Elgedawy was held scoreless in the first half after getting in early foul trouble, but the reigning Conference USA Player of the Week scored 11 points in the second half. She also had nine rebounds. Pouye had 10 points, eight rebounds and three steals in the game.

The Lady Toppers improved to 7-1 this season when scoring 70 points or more. WKU forced Ball State into 18 turnovers and have continued to push opponents into double-digit turnovers in every game this season.

WKU will take a week for finals and return to the court against Samford on Sunday, December 15 in Birmingham.

Season tickets and single-game tickets for Lady Topper basketball games are now on sale. Tickets can be purchased online (here) or by calling 1-800-5-BIGRED. Tickets can also be purchased in-person at the WKU Ticket Office located in E.A. Diddle Arena.

How to Follow the Lady Toppers: For complete information on WKU Lady Topper Basketball, visit WKUSports.com or follow the program via social media @LadyTopperHoops on Twitter, @LadyTopperHoops on Instagram and on Facebook at facebook.com/WKUWomensBasketball.