BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — An instant classic game couldn't have ended with a more perfect punctuation mark. A game that saw 13 lead changes, 11 ties, and three overtimes between WKU women's basketball and Charlotte ended with a buzzer beating three from junior Meral Abdelgawad to give the Lady Toppers a 100-99 win in E.A. Diddle Arena on Friday night.
Abdelgawad, the team-titled energy leader for WKU, drained the three as time expired and became the sixth Lady Topper in double figures on the night with 10 total points. Besides the buzzer beater and the overtimes, that was the story of the night for WKU. A team that has struggled to score all season found an offensive groove on Friday. It was the first time since Dec. 16, 2016 that WKU has had that many double-digit scorers.
WKU has played 58 seasons of women's basketball and has played 1,538 games in program history, but Friday's game was the first that went into three overtimes.
Raneem Elgedawy led the Lady Toppers with 26 points and 20 rebounds. She is the fourth ever WKU player to record a 20-20 game in Lady Topper history. The senior also had a career high five assists and a season high four blocks in the game.
Hope Sivori was the second leading scorer for WKU with 19 points. Ally Collett had a career high 18 points, shooting 4-of-5 from 3-point range. Myriah Haywood tied her career high with 14 points. Fatou Pouye dropped 11 points in only 28 minutes of play. Meral Abdelgawad recorded her third double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 rebounds while tying her career high in steals with five.
The two teams went back-and-forth much of the game, but Charlotte was able to take a 14-point lead at the 1:28 mark in the third quarter for its largest lead of the night. The Lady Toppers responded with a 7-0 run behind four made free throws and an Abdelgawad three to end the period.
Within eight early in the fourth quarter, WKU used a 6-0 run to make it a 2-point game. Charlotte pushed ahead by six midway through the quarter, but the Lady Toppers came back within two and kept it mostly a one possession game the rest of the frame. A Sivori and-one brought the game within one point and a layup from Haywood gave WKU its first lead since the first quarter. Elgedawy made a bucket to push that lead to three, but Charlotte tied it up with 3-pointer 18 seconds later. The 49ers had a shot at the buzzer, but it rimmed out.
In the first overtime, both teams scored only six points each. Charlotte had a 2-point lead with four seconds left, but Haywood was fouled on a drive and sinked both free throws to tie it up again. Charlotte once again had a look at the basket, but Elgedawy came in clutch with her fourth block on the attempted game-winning shot by the 49ers.
The second overtime got interesting when Sivori made a three with 42 second left to tie it up and then came up with a layup after an Abdelgawad defensive rebound and outlet pass to give WKU the lead. Charlotte this time made their buzzer beating shot to send to overtime for a third time.
With 1:10 left, WKU held a 3-point lead. Charlotte connected on a three to tie it up and then got a bucket with two seconds left to take the lead. WKU called timeout to advance the ball and head coach Greg Collins drew up the play for the win. Sivori inbounded the ball to Elgedawy. The 49er defense collapsed, leaving Abdelgawad open for three and the rest is history.
The win moves WKU to 4-9 on the season and 3-4 in Conference USA play. Charlotte, who was sitting atop the C-USA East standings, falls to 5-5 and 4-1 in conference play.
WKU and Charlotte will have little time to rest with the second game of the series on deck on Saturday at 4 p.m. in E.A. Diddle Arena.
THE KENTUCKY DEPARTMENT FOR PUBLIC HEALTH – WHEN IT COMES TO TOBACCO, QUITTERS ALWAYS WIN
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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