BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — WKU women's basketball fell behind early against Vanderbilt in the 2022-23 season opener on Monday evening at E.A. Diddle Arena. The Lady Toppers attempted a second half surge, but ultimately could not overcome the deficit.
WKU was plagued by turnovers in the first half, committing 18 in the first 20 minutes. The Lady Toppers also shot just 30 percent from the field in the first half and nine percent from the beyond the arc.
"It was just jitters," said head coach Greg Collins. "You can give a lot of credit to Vanderbilt's defense, but a lot of those turnovers were just unnecessary, off-balance bad decisions – just being nervous. We settled down. We had 18 turnovers at halftime and we had three in the second half. We're a little bit better than we played in the first half."
The Lady Toppers seemed to come back to life in the second half, limiting their turnovers to just three and shooting 44.4 percent from the field. WKU was also 36.3 percent from 3-point range in the second half.
Jaylin Foster paced WKU with a team-high 23 points along with 10 rebounds for her third career double-double. Foster also had a career high six steals to go along with four assists. Alexis Mead and Acacia Hayes each had 11 points and Macey Blevins added 10.
The Lady Toppers scored the first points of the game on a layup from Aaliyah Pitts, but Vanderbilt would go on to outscore WKU 19-9 in the frame. The second quarter was closer, but the Commodores took a 34-23 lead into halftime.
The second half was dead even with both teams scoring 48 total points each, including a fourth quarter that saw the Lady Toppers outscore Vanderbilt 28-26.
It was just the 15th time that WKU has lost its season opener all-time and just the 11th time the Lady Toppers have fallen in their home opener.
WKU returns to action on Monday, Nov. 14 at Missouri. The game is set for a 7 p.m. tip time at Mizzou Arena.
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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