HOW IT HAPPENED
Liberty scored the first points of the game, but WKU responded with a 9-0 run resulting from 3-pointers from Acacia Hayes, Alexis Mead and Destiny Salary. From there Liberty outscored WKU 12-4 to take a 14-13 lead into the second quarter.
The Lady Toppers used a 7-0 run to start the second quarter to go back ahead by six. The Flames tied the score twice before taking the lead at the 5:43 mark of the quarter. A layup and foul shot from Mead tied the score once again, but Liberty responded with back-to-back 3-pointers. Mead hit a three of her own but once again Liberty bounced back with five straight points. Salary went on a 6-0 run herself to get WKU back within two, but a made free throw from Liberty brought the score to 39-36 to end the half.
WKU and Liberty traded threes to open the second half and it was a fairly even affair the rest of the quarter with the Flames outscoring the Lady Toppers, 19-17.
A three from Zsofia Telegdy to start the fourth quarter cut Liberty's lead down to two. The Flames came down and knocked down a shot from deep, but Telegdy hit a second three. The Flames closed out the game, outscoring WKU 16-7 in the final 8:30 of the game to secure the win.
NOTABLES
- Destiny Salary led WKU in scoring with 19 points along with three assists. It was the fourth time this season Salary has led the team in scoring and her fourth straight game scoring in double digits.
- Acacia Hayes added 13 points along with four rebounds and Zsofia Telegdy had 11 points and three assists, tying her career highs in assists and made 3-pointers (3).
- Alexis Mead finished with 12 points, six assists, five steals, three rebounds and zero turnovers. She moved up to seventh place on WKU's career steals list with 206 in her time on The Hill and moved up to 36 on the Lady Topper all-time scoring list with 1, 127 career points.
- Josie Gilvin led WKU on the boards for the fifth time this season, pulling down eight rebounds against the Flames. She also tied her career high in blocks with two.
- The Lady Toppers had a season low 10 turnovers.
- It was the sixth time this season WKU has had at least four players score in double figures.
- WKU moves to 9-2 all-time in CUSA openers. It was the first conference opening loss for WKU since 2019-20 when the Lady Toppers fell to North Texas on the road to start league play. That season WKU finished 14-4 in CUSA.
QUOTABLE
Head coach Greg Collins:
"We've not shot the ball well enough to make up the difference (on getting outrebounded). We got multiple clock shot violations on them, we were close on some 10-second calls. We didn't get a lot of turnovers that turned into points. In the first half we got three or four (turnovers) and then we got down there and we came up empty. We either didn't make the shot or we got a turnover. In order to make up the difference in rebounding we have to take our steals and forced turnovers and generate offense from that."
NEXT UP
The Lady Toppers host FIU on Saturday, Jan. 4 at 2:00 p.m. 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.
