BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — One year, 18 days. That's how long it's been since the WKU women's basketball team has lost in E.A. Diddle Arena. The Lady Toppers kept that winning streak alive on Thursday night with a 71-60 victory against Charlotte to clinch a bye in next week's Conference USA Championship.
WKU improved to 21-7 on the season with the win and 13-4 in C-USA. The Lady Toppers' 14-game home winning streak is tied for the ninth longest active streak in NCAA Division I.
Raneem Elgedawy led all scorers with a career high 29 points. She had 16 boards to notch her 16th double-double of the season and 27th of her career. Her 16 this season are tied with Lillie Mason for the seventh most in a season by a Lady Topper. Elgedawy also made three from 3-point range, a new career high for the junior.
Meral Abdelgawad and Alexis Brewer were lethal from beyond the arc, connecting on a combined 5-of-9. Abdelgawad finished with 13 points in the contest and Brewer had 12. Whitney Creech added nine points and dished out seven assists.
Charlotte opened scoring with a 3-pointer just 18 seconds into the game, but Elgedawy's first three of the night evened the score. The two teams traded blows, but the Lady Toppers used a 13-4 scoring run to take a seven-point lead late in the quarter. The 49ers scored the final basket of the frame, drawing within five heading to the second quarter.
The 49ers opened the second period on a 10-2 run to take a three-point lead. Overall they would outscore the Lady Toppers 16-10 in the frame to go into halftime ahead 30-29.
It was WKU's turn to open the quarter on a mission. The Lady Toppers had an offensive burst to start the second half, going on a 21-6 run in the first five minutes of the third quarter to go ahead by 14. WKU forced seven Charlotte turnovers in the third quarter, scoring 10 points off the 49ers miscues. The Lady Toppers scored 30 points in the quarter, tied for the most WKU has scored in a quarter this season. They also held Charlotte to 16 in the period.
After the marathon of the third quarter, but teams struggled to score in the fourth quarter. Charlotte outscored WKU by two in the frame.
The Lady Toppers recorded 15 assists in the game, marking the 11th consecutive game with double-digit helpers and improve to 19-3 on the season when doing so.
WKU will close out the regular season on Saturday afternoon against Louisiana Tech. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. It will be Senior Day for WKU's four seniors – Dee Givens, Whitney Creech, Alexis Brewer and Sandra Skinner. The team will be honoring the seniors in a pre-game ceremony.
Fans can get tickets for Saturday's game for just $1 by using the promotion code 'WKU7'. 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.
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