WKU Womens Basketball fell victim to prolific three-point shooting, Sunday, as the Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons took down the Lady Toppers, 90-77, in the last game of the Gulf Coast Showcase.
The loss ends the Lady Toppers Gulf Coast Showcase showing with a sixth-place finish. WKU opened the tournament on Black Friday with a 77-61 loss at the hands of No. 16 Kansas State before beating Vermont 62-50 on Saturday to set up the battle for fifth place against Purdue Fort Wayne.
Fantastic three-point shooting from the Mastodons was the story of the game. Purdue Fort Wayne, who entered the contest 32nd in the nation from three, shot an impressive 17-33 from behind the arc.
Junior guard Alexis Mead was great for the Lady Toppers in the loss. Mead scored 24, with an impressive 5-7 mark from three, and had seven rebounds against the Mastodons.
The story of the first quarter was the Mastodons’ three-point prowess as Purdue Fort Wayne shot 7-10 from three to open up the contest. The impressive early showing from the Mastodons put them up 11 at the end of the first quarter, 30-19.
However, the Lady Toppers responded early in the second quarter. A couple of three-point buckets from senior Aaliyah Pitts aided an 8-0 WKU run that cut their deficit to three, 30-27, with six minutes to play in the period. Purdue Fort Wayne responded to the Hilltopper scoring streak, capping off the quarter on a 14-8 run that gave the Mastodons a 44-35 lead at half.
Purdue Fort Wayne carried their fantastic first half shooting into the second. The Mastodons shot 5-7 from behind the arc in the third quarter en route to a 67-57 lead heading into the fourth. Mead kept the Lady Toppers within striking distance with impressive three-point shooting of her own, knocking down four threes in the 10-minute period.
WKU was unable to get over the hump in the fourth as they were outscored by Purdue Fort Wayne 23-20 in the quarter. WKU ultimately fell to the Mastodons 90-77.
WKU looks to bounce back as they travel to Corvallis, Oregon to take on the Oregon State Beavers on Saturday, Dec. 2 at 8 P.M. CT.
