The Lady Toppers (1-3) lost their second game in a row and second in the 2021 Preseason WNIT 63-47 to UT Martin (2-1) on Monday afternoon in Manhattan, Kansas.

WKU got off to a sluggish start, only scoring two points in the entirety of the first quarter. The Lady Toppers scored 20 in the second quarter and carried a 7-0 run into the break, but poor shooting and 20 turnovers prevented any WKU comeback.

WKU closed the third frame with a 13-3 run but was outscored 14-12 in the final quarter, sealing the loss. 

Senior Meral Abdelgawad and freshman Mya Meredith both offered up a dozen points each and freshman Macey Blevins scored all six of her points on a pair of three pointers. WKU’s bench scored 29 points, making up most of the offensive attack.

The Lady Toppers only shot 15-of-55 from the field (27.3%) and went 6-for-29 from beyond the arc but were able to grab more offensive (16) and defensive (28) boards than the Skyhawks.

Abdelgawad pulled in 19 rebounds to go along with her 12 points to record her first double-double of the season. Her rebound total is so far the most in a single game by a Conference USA player in 2021-22.

WKU will return to Diddle Arena for a three-game home stand beginning on Sunday, Nov. 21 against Kentucky State. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. CT.

Editor’s note: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated WKU’s current losing streak. The Herald regrets the error.

Sports Editor Jake Moore can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @Charles_JMoore.