Series Preview: Lady Toppers to host Charlotte

Lady Topper senior Fatou Pouye (12) attempting a shot over Marshall redshirt sophomore Mahogany Matthews (25) on Jan. 17, 2021 in Diddle Arena. 

Drew Toennies

Following the postponement of the series against Old Dominion, the Lady Toppers (3-9), (2-4, C-USA) have successfully rescheduled their original season opener series against the Charlotte Lady 49ers (5-4), (4-0, C-USA).

The Lady Toppers will be trying to bounce back from a disappointing series against MTSU where they were swept at home in both games.

The Charlotte Lady 49ers will be returning from their road series against Alabama-Birmingham where the Lady 49ers swept their conference opponent. They are undefeated in conference play so far.

The Lady 49ers’ most explosive offensive player is junior Jada McMillian, who is the fifth best scorer in the conference. McMillian averages 17.6 points per game and has put as many as 31 points on the board in a game this season against conference foe UAB.

Charlotte senior Mariah Linney is another player to look out for, as she averages 11.3 points per game and is ranked 22 in the conference’s top scorers. Linney scored 19 points this season against Wake Forest.

As for the Lady Toppers, senior Fatou Pouye is one of the more balanced scorers who regularly averages 11.2 points per game and scored 21 points in conference play against LA Tech. The senior from Senegal currently sits at 23 on the list of top scorers in the conference.

Although she may not be ranked as one of the top scorers in the conference, WKU senior Raneem Elgedawy has been one of the Lady Toppers’ top performers since her return to the team in the series against Marshall. Elgedawy averages 20.7 points per game and almost shattered her record of 29 points in the series against MTSU where she scored 26.

The Lady Toppers will tip off their fourth C-USA series at home against the Charlotte Lady 49ers on Friday and Saturday. Tip off is scheduled for 4 p.m. for both days.

Women’s basketball beat reporter Drew Toennies can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @drew_toennies.