HOW IT HAPPENED
WKU jumped out to an 11-point lead in the first quarter behind 4-of-5 shooting from beyond the arc to start the game. The Panthers used a 5-0 run to cut the lead down to five before a three from Josie Gilvin pushed WKU back ahead by eight. FIU outscored WKU 5-2 in the final seconds of the quarter to bring the score to 26-21, WKU advantage, going into the second period.
FIU opened the second quarter on a 12-0 run to take a seven point lead at the 7:24 mark. The Lady Toppers were able to cut it to three multiple times, but another FIU run, this time 7-0, helped the Panthers distance themselves again. WKU cut the score down to five heading into halftime thanks to a 6-1 run of their own.
After a pair of FIU free throws to open the third quarter, the Lady Toppers rattled off an 8-0 run to take their first lead of the game since the beginning of the second quarter. The Panthers responded with six straight points to retake the advantage. Scoring went back and forth the rest of the quarter with FIU taking a 63-55 lead into the fourth quarter.
With 3:04 left in the fourth quarter, WKU was down 14 points but would began their comeback bid just a few seconds later. The Lady Toppers erupted for a 7-0 run in 20 seconds to cut that lead in half. After an Acacia Hayes three, Gilvin stole the ball on FIU's inbounds play and Alexis Mead finished it off with a layup. WKU forced another turnover on the Panther's next out of bounds play and Destiny Salary put it away to complete the run. After a pair of FIU free throws, WKU went on a 6-0 run to cut the score to three with 1:26 left. The Panthers went back ahead by five with a pair of free throws. Mead made a jumper on the next possession to cut it back to three. WKU was able to get the steal and Caleigh-Rose West was fouled on the Lady Toppers' possession. She made both free throws to make it a one-point game. With six seconds left, Gilvin came up with her 11th steal of the game to give WKU a look at the buzzer, but the shot didn't fall for the Lady Toppers.
NOTABLES
- Josie Gilvin broke the WKU single game steals record with 11 on the day. That also ties the Conference USA record. Gilvin nearly finished with a triple double with nine points, eight assists, 11 steals to go along with four rebounds and two blocks. Nine of her steals came in the second half with six coming in the fourth quarter alone.
- For the second time this season, WKU had two players score 20-plus points. Destiny Salary had 21, tying her season high, and Alexis Mead had 20.
- Mead also had a career high seven steals along with five assists and five rebounds. Mead moved up to sixth on WKU's all-time career steals list, ahead of Chastity Gooch, with 213 in her career. She also moved up to a tie for ninth place on WKU's career assists list with 398. She moved ahead of Dawn Warner and Donna Doellman on WKU's all-time scoring list to 34th place with 1,147 career points.
- Acacia Hayes was the third Lady Topper in double figures with 19 points on four made 3-pointers.
- The Lady Toppers forced a season high 38 turnovers and had a season high 22 steals. The forced turnovers are the fifth most in a WKU single game and the steals are tied for the seventh most in the WKU record book.
QUOTABLE
Head coach Greg Collins:
"Had (Alexis Mead) made that (shot), we would have been ecstatic about pulling it out, but FIU outplayed us. I'm not sure we deserved to win. We would have been glad to get it and escape, but they shot the ball almost 70 percent from the field. Our defense was porous. They kept driving our guards to the basket, that's why they got 50 points in the paint. We got outrebounded again. I know we're outsized a little bit, but it's hard to win when you're getting beat on both ends. We weren't making open shots. We had a lot of great looks."
NEXT UP
The Lady Toppers will hit the road to take on Jacksonville State (Jan. 9) and Kennesaw State (Jan. 11).
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.
