Lady Toppers Drop Heartbreaker to FIU

Saturday, March 2

Bowling Green, Ky.

1 PM

Western Kentucky University

15-15,6-9CUSA

FIU

19-9,10-4CUSA

FIU

Western Ky.

Ana Teresa Faustino | Photo by: Steve Roberts

Photo by: Steve Roberts/WKU Athletics

3/2/2024 5:14:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — WKU women's basketball (15-15, 6-9 CUSA) held a lead against FIU (19-9, 10-4 CUSA) for all but 11 seconds on Saturday in E.A. Diddle Arena, but those 11 seconds mattered the most. The Lady Toppers fell to FIU, 71-68, behind a late 3-pointer from the Panthers.

"I feel bad for the girls," said head coach Greg Collins. "I know how badly they feel. I know the energy they brought to practice every day and getting refocused and ready for the next game. They just haven't gotten rewarded for their efforts. We getting to a spot where we feel like we're playing but then we can't maintain that."

Teresa Faustino had a career high 18 points to go along with four rebounds, four steals and two assists. Alexis Mead finished with 17 points, seven assists, four rebounds and three steals. Josie Gilvin had 11 points, five rebounds and two steals in 18 minutes of play.

After a tough stretch of games offensively, the Lady Toppers bounced back with their most points (68) and highest shooting percentage (42.9%) since February 15 at UTEP.

Gilvin scored the first four points of the game for WKU with a pair of layups. Her second basket sparked a 6-0 run for the Lady Toppers. The two teams went back and forth, but WKU ended the quarter on a 5-0 run to take a 21-15 lead into the second quarter.

FIU cut the lead down to four with a pair of free throws to start the second period. A three from Mead pushed WKU back ahead by seven. After a bucket from FIU, WKU went on a 7-0 run, including another three from Mead, to take a double-digit lead for the first time. The Panthers got it back down to nine with 4:26 left, but WKU outscored FIU 7-3 through the rest of the quarter to take a 38-25 lead into halftime.

FIU started the third quarter on an 8-0 run to cut WKU's lead down to five with 7:53 left in the period. Both teams went back and forth for the next two minutes. WKU rattled off an 11-0 run to balloon its lead out to 16, but FIU ended the quarter on an 8-0 run of their own to give WKU a 56-48 lead going into the final period.

The Panthers scored five straight to start the fourth quarter, cutting the lead down to three. The two teams traded baskets for most of the quarter, but FIU went on a 9-0 run to end the game. FIU tied the game with a layup with 49 seconds left after a WKU turnover. After another WKU turnover, the Panthers made a three with one second on the shot clock and 10 seconds on the game clock. WKU got off a 3-point shot with two seconds left, but the shot was no good.

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.