Lady Toppers bury Troy 98-80

Sophomore forward Chastity Gooch makes a layup on a fast break against Troy in the first half at E.A. Diddle Arena on Wednesday Jan. 30, 2012

Laura Beranek

A hot shooting night propelled the Lady Toppers to a big win over Troy 98-80 at home Wednesday.

WKU (16-5, 9-3 Sun Belt Conference) leads the all-time series 14-1 and remains unbeaten against the Trojans while in Bowling Green at 8-0.

The Lady Toppers hit 60 percent of their shots from the field, posting a final score just two points shy of 100. The team effort was more than enough to break the two-game losing skid, courtesy of losses to South Alabama and Middle Tennessee State’s Sunday matchup.

Junior guard Bianca McGee led the Tops with a career-high 24 points following back-to-back shots behind the arc in the second half.  McGee said the MTSU game, in which she had only two points, made her step up and realize “how much my team needed me.”

Sophomore guard Alexis Govan’s 23 total points in 37 minutes of play was not far behind.

Another key playmaker in the 98- 80 victory was, once again, sophomore forward Chastity Gooch. Her 18th season double-double sits alone on top of the of the NCAA rankings after her 21-point, 12-rebound showing.

Coach Michelle Clark-Heard said she’s proud of the way her team stepped up and played together to adjust to Troy’s quick shooting. The Lady Topper’s next game is Feb. 7 at North Texas, giving the team a short break to continue improving with what seems to be this seasons Achilles Heel.

“Defensively, turning the ball over is still a problem for us,” Heard said. “So we’re going to have to go back and keep working, and I’m glad we’ll have the opportunity to have some days off and work on it.”