The Lady Toppers will continue their conference road streak Thursday, as they’ll travel to Huntsville, Texas to play the Sam Houston Bearkats.
WKU played the Bearkats earlier in the season, winning 76-60. That win was one of their four in conference-USA play so far, putting them at 4-2 on the season. The team sits at third place in the conference behind FIU and Middle Tennessee.
The Lady Toppers will have their work cut out for them the second time around. The Bearkats are ranked second in the NCAA in offensive rebounds with 17.8 per game, thanks in part to Sam Houston senior guard Raanee Smith, who averages 5.1 offensive rebounds per game and nine rebounds overall per game. The Bearkats are also third in the nation in free throw attempts, averaging 25.56 per game, and fifth in the country with 17.33 free throws made per game. The Bearkats leading scorer is senior guard Diana Rosenthal, who averages 12 points per game.
The Lady Toppers match up well with Sam Houston, putting up 76 points and shooting 50% from the field in their first meeting thanks to junior guard Destiny Salary’s 19 points and eight rebounds. Sophomore guard Acacia Hayes added 17 points. Hayes leads the conference in total points with 341 and is second in points per game with 15.8. Salary is the team’s second leading scorer, averaging 15.2 points per game.
The Lady Toppers held Sam Houston to 60 points in their last matchup. WKU forced 21 turnovers with 12 steals and blocked five shots. The Bearkats only made four three-pointers. Junior guard Alexis Mead averages 10.7 points per game, while also being the team steal leader averaging two per game.
The game will take place at 6:30 p.m., in the Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum. The game can be watched on ESPN+
