Lady Toppers outlast UT Arlington

WKU’s forward Tashia Brown (10) drives to the basket against Louisville forward Mariya Moore (4) and guard Briahanna Jackson (23) during the Lady Topper’s 71-69 win Saturday at E.A. Diddle Arena.

Evan Heichelbech

WKU earned its fifth win of the season in Arlington, Texas on Sunday as the Lady Tops defeated UT Arlington 73-64.
 
Four players scoured in double digits to help propel the Lady Toppers past a UT Arlington squad that proved difficult to break down at points.
 
Sophomore forward Tashia Brown posted her second consecutive 21-point game of the season. She was joined in double digits by junior guard Kendall Noble, sophomore forward Ivy Brown and freshman guard Kayla Smith who combined for 42 points.
 
UT Arlington led for most of the game, and it took a 13-2 run by the Lady Tops midway through the second half to regain the lead for the first time.
 
UT Arlington outrebounded WKU 41-24 and held the Lady Tops to 44 percent shooting for the game. The Lady Tops held the Lady Mavericks to just 40 percent shooting on the night.
 
Thanks to strong defense from WKU, the Lady Tops put together a 15-0 run in the fourth quarter to put the game away.
 
WKU relied heavily on its starters as the bench production was low, contributing only 10 points total. Freshman guard Dee Givens followed up her 16-point outing against Austin Peay last Saturday with just six points in only 10 minutes of action.
 
Noble scored 19 points to extend her double-digit scoring streak to four games. Brown and Smith added 12 and 11 points respectively to provide some balance to the offense.
 
Up next for WKU is a matchup with Eastern Kentucky University in the 33rd Annual BB&T Classic at Diddle Arena on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.
 
The Lady Toppers will look to notch their twelfth consecutive victory over the Colonels, who are 4-3 this season.