LADY TOPPERS STORM BACK IN 100TH WIN FOR COLLINS
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — WKU women's basketball (14-10, 5-4 CUSA) rallied to get a 64-56 win against Louisiana Tech (8-15, 2-6 CUSA) after being down as much as 19 points on Wednesday night in E.A. Diddle Arena. The win gave head coach Greg Collins his 100th victory as head coach at WKU. He's just the fourth head coach in program history to notch 100 wins.
"The box score looks a lot more like what our box scores used to look like," said head coach Greg Collins. "We forced 21 turnovers, we get 18 steals and we got to the free throw line. I felt like they played really hard. We had a lot of contributions tonight. I felt like the second half was more like how we have played. It was nice to see some shots go in, finally."
Alexis Mead led the Lady Toppers with 21 points, eight rebounds, five steals and five assists. Teresa Faustino had 11 points, five rebounds, four steals and two assists. Josie Gilvin finished with eight points, five rebounds, four steals and two assists. Karris Allen added nine points and two rebounds.
The Lady Toppers were shorthanded with Acacia Hayes and Destiny Salary sitting out. Hayes is out indefinitely with a knee injury. Salary was serving a one game suspension.
It was the ninth come-from-behind win of the season for WKU. It was the fourth time WKU has comeback from a double-digit deficit. It was the seventh win for the Lady Toppers when trailing at halftime and the fifth when trailing during the fourth quarter.
LA Tech scored the first points of the game, but WKU quickly followed up with back-to-back baskets to take a 4-2 lead. The Lady Techsters used an 8-0 run go back ahead. A three from Mead and a layup from Faustino cut the lead back down to one, but LA Tech scored five straight to end the quarter up 15-9.
The Lady Techsters took their largest lead of the game in the second quarter, going ahead 19 with 2:52 left behind a 9-0 run. The Lady Toppers responded with an 8-0 run to get it back down to 11, but a three from LA Tech just before the break pushed it back out to 14 at halftime.
WKU doubled up LA Tech in the third quarter, outscoring the Lady Techsters 19-8 in the frame. After a free throw from the Lady Techsters, WKU went on a 13-2 run to chip away at the lead, trailing only by four at that point. A three and a jumper from LA Tech extended the lead back out to nine, but WKU ended the quarter on a 6-0 run to go into the final period down 44-41.
A jumper from Mead to open the fourth quarter brought WKU within one. Gilvin followed with a bucket to give WKU its first lead since the first quarter. LA Tech came right back and regained the lead with five straight points, but buckets from Odeth Betancourt and Faustino tied the game with 6:35 left. LA Tech scored next, but WKU went on an 8-0 run to go ahead 57-51. With 1:15 left, LA Tech made basket to cut it to four, but had to foul to get the ball back. WKU connected on six free throws and made defensive stops to extend the lead to 63-53 with 28 seconds left. LA Tech ended their drought with a three with 26 seconds left, but the damage was done. A free throw from Mead sealed the deal.
WKU will be back in action on Saturday, Feb. 10 at 2 p.m. against Jacksonville State in Diddle 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 X, @LadyTopperHoops on Instagram and on Facebook at facebook.com/WKUWomensBasketball.
Western Kentucky University Athletics
- Champions Climb Here
- WKU Athletics
- Athletic Director
- Academic Services
- Annual Report
- Athletic Communications
- Athletic Hall of Fame
- Athletic Training
- Big Red
- CLIMB Program - NIL
- Compliance
- Facilities
- Financial Reports
- For Students
- Student Employment
- Forms/Requests
- Book Big Red
- Donation Requests
- Site Feedback
- For Fans
- Hilltopper Highlights
- Gameday Promotions
- Alumni Tailgates
- Big Red's Rascals
- Basketball Gameday
- Football Gameday
- Mobile Tickets
- Travel Center
- Tickets
- Give
