BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — A hot second and third quarter led WKU women's basketball (1-2) to a 91-55 win against Miami (Ohio) (1-3) on Monday night in Bowling Green.
Midway through the second quarter WKU came alive, scoring 24 points in the final 5:28 of the frame to swing the game from a 21-18 Miami lead to a 42-26 WKU lead at halftime. Then the Lady Toppers outscored the Redhawks 33-13 in the third quarter to inflate their lead even more.
"We work hard on our defense and we try to let defense drive our offense," said head coach Greg Collins. "We needed a game where we were having a little bit more success. I felt like in our Vanderbilt and Missouri games we weren't intense enough or aggressive enough. I was really proud tonight. I felt like Josie, Hope, Macey, Aaliyah and Jaylin – all the starters – really set a tone."
The Lady Toppers notched 23 steals in the game, the sixth most by a WKU team ever. In all, WKU forced Miami into 35 turnovers and cashed in for 41 points off those miscues. It also led to 20 points on fast breaks for WKU.
Aaliyah Pitts was WKU's leading scorer with 19 points in the game for a new career high to go along with five rebounds. Jaylin Foster posted her second double-double of the season with 11 points and 10 rebounds along with two steals and two assists. Macey Blevins scored 14 points and Josie Gilvin added 12 points with four steals and three rebounds. Acacia Hayes and Teresa Faustino each had 10 points and five rebounds. Hayes was the team's leading assist earner with four on the night while also securing four steals. Faustino made three steals.
It was the first time WKU has had six players score in double figures since Jan. 28, 2021 against Charlotte.
The 36-piont win is WKU's largest win margin against a NCAA Division I opponent since a 90-43 victory against Morgan State on Nov. 28, 2018.
WKU is 27-4 under Collins when holding teams to below 60 points.
The first quarter was back-and-forth with two ties and four lead changes, but WKU managed to take a 16-15 lead into the second quarter. Miami came out and scored the first four points of the second frame to retake the lead. A layup from Gilvin put the Lady Toppers back ahead, but the Redhawks came right back and claimed the advantage again. That's when WKU scored 24 points in just over five minutes to take over the game. That stretch included a 7-0 run, 8-0 run and a 6-0 run.
The third quarter was WKU's best offensive frame of the day with 33 points scored. The Lady Toppers held Miami to just two field goals in the quarter. The fourth quarter was even with both teams scoring 16 in the frame.
WKU will hit the road to take on Cornell on Friday, Nov. 25 at noon (CT). It will be the first ever meeting between the two teams.
How to Follow the Lady Toppers: For complete information on Lady Topper Hoops, 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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