The Lady Toppers took on Cornell in their quest to remain undefeated and improve their record to 3-0. It was Acacia Hayes who took charge in that accomplishment, as the sophomore guard put up 18 of the Lady Topper’s 62 points in a 62-56 victory.
A big 1st Period for the Lady Toppers saw them entering the 2nd with a three-point lead, thanks in part to senior Terese Faustino and Hayes. It was ultimately the 3-and-D from WKU that propelled the team to the early lead. 10 of WKU’s 18 1st Period points came from Opponenet Turnovers. The Tops also went an impressive 4-10 from beyond the arch to open up the game.
The 2nd Period was no different, as WKU opened up on a 7-2 run from back-to-back opponent turnovers turned into fastbreak chances. This eventually turned into 12 of WKU’s 2nd Period points coming off of opponent turnovers as well.
Not to be outdone, WKU opened the 2nd Half on a 12-4 run, led by WKU’s 4 offensive boards in the 3rd Period. Yet, in the spirit of fatigue, the Cornell Big Reds were able to finish the Period on an 8-0 run, and bring them within 13 to start the 4th Period.
The Big Reds, not to be confused with WKU’s beloved mascot Big Red, would carry that momentum into the start of the final period, and start with an 8-2 run, combining with the end of their 3rd period run to outscore WKU 16-2 in the final 5 minutes of Period 3, and the first 5 minutes of Period 4.
It was not enough though, as Faustino and Hayes hit both of their free throws in the last stages of the game to put the dagger in Cornell. WKU was able to hold onto their lead and remain undefeated with a 62-56 victory.
When asked about the change that he saw in his defense in the second half, Lady Topper coach, Greg Collins, had this to say.
“We put in a lot of effort on the defensive end,” Collins said, “We’re disruptive, and that’s kind of the goal. There’s still areas, obviously, that we’ve got to continue to work at, but I like how hard they’re playing.”
The Lady Toppers take to the road to play Vanderbilt on Wednesday, hoping to extend their undefeated streak.
