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Cold shooting plagued the Lady Toppers early against the Flames, but WKU bounced back in the second half to earn the win.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Lady Toppers scored the first points of the first quarter on a layup from Destiny Salary. After taking a 4-2 lead, WKU gave up a 7-0 run falling behind 9-4. Alexis Mead stopped the bleeding for WKU with an and-one but Lee responded with a three. Layups from Zsophia Telegdy and Salma Khedr brought WKU back within one but Lee hit a jumper at the buzzer to take a 14-11 lead at the end of the first quarter.
WKU took control of the game in the second quarter, outscoring Lee 18-4 in the frame. Eight of WKU's 18 points came from Mead, who went a perfect 3-of-3 from the field in the quarter, including 2-of-2 from 3-point range. The Lady Toppers also forced Lee into nine turnovers in the quarter. WKU took a 29-18 lead into the second half.
The Lady Toppers scored first in the third quarter, but Lee rattled off a 6-0 run to cut the deficit down to seven. The two teams went back-and-forth the rest of the quarter and WKU took a 45-37 lead into the final quarter.
WKU started the fourth quarter with a 9-0 run that included threes from Telegdy and Acacia Hayes. Telegdy connected on her second three of the quarter just a few minutes later. After a couple of Lee baskets, WKU finished the game on a 13-3 run to claim the 22-point win.
NOTABLES
- Alexis Mead was WKU's leading scorer with 14 points to go along with three rebounds. The senior was 5-of-7 from the floor and 3-of-4 from 3-point range.
- Szofia Telegdy finished with 12 points, three rebounds, two blocks and two assists.
- Mackenzie Chatfield added 10 points on 3-of-5 shooting from the field and 4-of-4 shooting from the free throw line.
- Josie Gilvin led WKU on the boards, pulling down seven rebounds. She also had three steals.
- Destiny Salary put up six points, five rebounds, three steals and two assists.
- WKU forced Lee into 23 turnovers, which would have tied for the season high last season after the Lady Toppers caused 23 miscues against Abilene Christian.
QUOTABLES
Head coach Greg Collins:
"That's what you want: you want some things to be exposed, you want some things you need to fix and continue to work. I told the girls in the huddle after the game, we talk our biggest objective other than team chemistry is making sure we get better every day. Making sure we get better at practice. Making sure whether it's a scrimmage or an exhibition, that we are getting better. I told them before shootaround this morning, I'd rather win by five and get better than win by 25 and feel like we didn't learn anything. I felt like there was improvement in players from the first quarter to the fourth quarter. There were some things they realized they have to do. There's some things they didn't do that we now understand. Now we can watch film and continue to work on that. That's the main thing that we continue to get better."
Senior guard Alexis Mead:
"I think was a testament to us having nine new girls. We're still getting comfortable with each other when playing in an actual game. I think you saw that, like Coach (Collins) said, we got better as the quarters went along. It's just showing that we're getting more comfortable with each other as we play more with each other."
Junior forward Zsofia Telegdy:
"It started out a little shaky, but once we let go of the anxiety or I don't know what it was you could tell we got more comfortable with each other."
NEXT UP
The Lady Toppers will officially open the season on the road, taking on Indiana State on Monday, Nov. 4 at 6 p.m. WKU will host Kentucky State for the 2024-25 home opener on Saturday, Nov. 9 at 4 p.m.
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 X, @LadyTopperHoops on Instagram and on Facebook at facebook.com/WKUWomensBasketball.
