GAME INFO
- No. 3 WKU (22-8, 13-5 CUSA) vs. No. 6 FIU (11-18, 7-11 CUSA)
- Thursday, March 13 | 2 PM | Huntsville, Ala. | Propst Arena
- Watch: ESPN+
- Listen: ESPN 102.7 in Bowling Green or Varsity Network
- Live stats
- Game Notes
ABOUT THE TOPS
- WKU comes into the tournament as the No. 3 seed after finishing CUSA play 13-5.
- Four different Lady Toppers are averaging double digit points this season. Alexis Mead is leading the team with a 13.3 points per game average, Josie Gilvin is averaging 13.0, Destiny Salary is putting up 12.6 points per game and Acacia Hayes is scoring 11.3 points per game.
- Three Lady Toppers earned CUSA postseason awards, announced this week. Alexis Mead was named to the All-CUSA First Team while Josie Gilvin and Destiny Salary were named to the Second Team. Mead and Gilvin were also named to the CUSA All-Defensive Team.
- Josie Gilvin is leading the team on the boards, pulling down 5.9 rebounds per game. Zsofia Telegdy is second behind her, averaging 4.8 boards per game.
- WKU is averaging 11.3 steals per game this season, which is the 21st best rate in the country. Three different Lady Toppers rank in the top 10 in CUSA in steals per game: Josie Gilvin: 2nd, 2.63; Alexis Mead: 6th, 2.20; Acacia Hayes: 8th, 1.96).
- WKU leads CUSA in four statistical categories. The Lady Toppers are first in assist/turnover ratio (1.15), assists per game (16.4), scoring offense (73.0) and turnover margin (6.33).
- The Lady Toppers have had six different leading scorers through 30 games this season. Destiny Salary has led the team nine times, Alexis Mead and Josie Gilvin seven times, Acacia Hayes and Zsophia Telegdy three times, and Mackenzie Chatfield twice.
- Senior Alexis Mead has begun etching her name in the WKU record book. Mead is currently fourth all-time at WKU in career steals with 238, sixth in career assists with 461, fifth in career starts with 123, 10th in made 3-pointers with 160, and 25th in all-time scoring with 1,345 career points. She is just the third Lady Topper to record over 1,300 career points, 400 career assists and 200 career steals, joining Kendall Noble and Clemette Haskins on the elite list.
- WKU has held 22 of 30 opponents under 70 points this season, notching a record of 19-2 when doing so. The Lady Toppers are 101-26 under head coach Greg Collins when keeping teams below 70. WKU has held 11 teams below 60 this season, going 11-0 in those games. The Lady Toppers are 51-9 under Collins when holding teams below 60.
SERIES INFORMATION
- Thursday's game will be the 51st meeting between WKU and FIU all-time and the second meeting in the last week. WKU has a 37-13 record against the Panthers all-time and are coming off an 83-48 win against FIU in Miami on March 6.
- Despite having played 50 games between the two programs, they have only played in conference tournaments three times and haven't played in a conference tournament since 2006. The Lady Toppers have a 2-1 advantage in conference tournaments against the Panthers.
ABOUT THE PANTHERS
- FIU tied for sixth place in the conference standings with a 7-11 record in league play and won the tiebreaker for the No. 6 seed in the tournament.
- Isnelle Natabou is leading the Panthers, scoring 13.9 points per game and pulling down 6.8 rebounds per game. Natabou was honored with CUSA's Newcomer of the Year award and was named to the All-CUSA First Team.
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.
