Lady Toppers go cold in second half, lose to FIU

Tyler Lashbrook

WKU wasn’t able to sweep its Florida road trip after shooting just 16.7 percent in the second half at Florida-International en route to a 72-53 loss Saturday.

The Lady Toppers held a 41-38 lead early in the second half before FIU went on a 25-0 run.

WKU (18-7, 11-5 Sun Belt Conference) went 10:49 in the second half without scoring.

Going into the contest, coach Michelle Clark-Heard wanted to be able to control FIU guard Jerica Coley – the nation’s leading scorer at 25.4 points per game.

Coley, however, had different plans.

Coley gave the Lady Toppers fits all night, scoring 38 points – one shy of her career high – and grabbing nine rebounds.

WKU’s three highest scorers – sophomore forward Chastity Gooch, sophomore guard Alexis Govan and junior guard Bianca McGee – combined to shoot just 10-of-40 from the field for 32 points.

The Lady Toppers will return to the comfort of Diddle Arena Feb. 20 against Louisiana-Monroe.