HOW IT HAPPENED
Torri James, Tia Shelling, Trinity Rowe, Zsofia Telegdy and Salma Khedr were the first five on the court for WKU for the eighth consecutive game. It is the 11th time this season the group has started a game together.
The two teams traded baskets to start the game and were tied 5-5 two minutes in. Missouri State used a 5-0 run, fueled by three points from the free throw line, to take a lead. The two teams back and forth again and the quarter ended with Missouri State ahead, 14-9.
Neither team scored in the first two and a half minutes of the second quarter. Rowe made a jumper to stop the drought for the Lady Toppers. The Bears made a pair of free throws to go back ahead by five, but Rowe made another midrange shot to cut it to three again. Missouri State made another pair of free throws, but Telegdy responded with a 3-pointer to cut that lead down to two. From there, Missouri State outscored WKU 9-2 in the quarter to take a 27-18 lead into halftime.
Missouri State came out of halftime and scored the first six points to take a 15-point lead. The Lady Toppers scored four straight to cut the lead back down to 11. After exchanging baskets, the Bears outscored WKU 11-8 to take a 46-32 lead into the final quarter. The Lady Toppers were outscored 19-6 in the fourth quarter.
QUOTABLE
"Even in the third quarter, I'd say in the huddle we're down 14, we're down 13 – we weren't completely out of it, but we couldn't make a shot if we were in the gym by ourselves," said head coach Greg Collins. "Some of it was our fault for bad drives, off balance. Against physical play you have to be steady and under control. We took some highly contested shots in there and then didn't finish the ones we needed. We always talk about finish or get fouled. We didn't get to the free throw line at all in the first half. We're trying to avoid contact instead of being strong and playing through that. Credit to Missouri State. They brought the fight to us and we tried to match that but we weren't as poised or under control with the ball when it was a physically played game."
NOTABLES
- Torri James was the leading scorer for WKU with 13 points to go along with six rebounds and two blocks. It is the fifth time this season James has the led the team in scoring. It was 11th double digit game of the season.
- Trinity Rowe added 11 points along with four rebounds and three steals. It was her 12th double digit performance of the season.
- Zsofia Telegdy had three blocks, tying her career high.
UP NEXT
The Lady Toppers will close out the regular season against FIU on Saturday, March 7 in Diddle Arena at 1:00 PM.
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, @WKU.WBB on TikTok and on Facebook at facebook.com/WKUWomensBasketball.
