BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — WKU women's basketball dropped an 80-62 decision to Marshall on Wednesday night in E.A. Diddle Arena. The game was the first of a two-game series with the Thundering Herd this week, with the other matchup coming on Saturday on the road.
WKU falls to 18-10 on the season and 11-6 in Conference USA play. Marshall improves to 14-12 and 9-8 in the league.
WKU connected on nine 3-pointers in the game, but couldn't overcome Marshall offensive surge. The Herd shot 47 percent (31-of-66) from the floor and hit eight of their own threes. The Lady Toppers shot 36 percent (20-of-55) from the field.
"We talked about in the huddle at the end of the game that at some point you have to take pride in the other part of the game and not that be driven by whether you're making shots or not," said head coach Greg Collins. "On the offensive side, the ball in the first half was just sticking. Everybody was dribbling too much in one spot and trying to create by themselves instead of keeping the ball moving. Consequently, we didn't get good shots. They (Marshall) did a good job of staying in front of us. We either had bad shots or turnovers. Then that affected our ability to guard. It shouldn't, but it does."
Meral Abdelgawad led the Lady Toppers on her Senior Night with 17 points to go along with six rebounds, four assists and a steal. Jaylin Foster recorded her second double-double of the season with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Hope Sivori joined Abdelgawad and Foster in double figures with 12 points.
Abdelgawad was celebrated with a ceremony after the game for Senior Night as WKU's lone senior.
"She (Abdelgawad) has been a real glue type of player over the years," said Collins. "She came in and was with Whitney Creech, Dee Givens, Alexis Brewer and Raneem Elgedawy and really just brought that energy from day one. That's why she started. She wasn't necessarily the best basketball player on the team, but I recognized she brought an energy and a passion that we needed on the floor. She was always that player that went and got that extra possession, that offensive rebound, that defensive board. Now she continues to grow and work and has now grown into a player that can score. We still need her every game to be that energy driver. She needs to be that one that leads this team on both ends, especially on the defensive end."
WKU and Marshall will play again on Saturday in Huntington at noon (CT) to conclude the regular season.
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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