The Lady Toppers cut off the Wi-Fi Wednesday as they took down the Lousiana Tech Lady Techsters 64-59 at Diddle Arena.
“We had a lot of contributions tonight,” Head Coach Greg Collins said. “And I felt like the second half was more like how we have played and it was nice to see some shots go in finally.”
Despite being without their top scorers, guards Acacia Hayes and Destiny Salary, the team returned from a 19-point first-half deficit to earn a much-needed win in conference play. The team still sits at fourth, moving to 14-10 (5-4 CUSA).
Junior guard Alexis Mead scored 20 points tonight while grabbing eight rebounds, seven assists, and five steals. Senior guard Teresa Faustino added 11 points, five rebounds, and four steals. The two guards accounted for half of WKU’s total steals.
The Lady Toppers forced 21 turnovers with 18 of those being steals. Adding 20 points off those turnovers helped WKU rally back in the second half. The team created mayhem on the court by forcing contested shots and turnovers, allowing them to erase a deficit and close out a game.
It was a very low-scoring first quarter for both teams, with LA Tech staying at 10 points for about four minutes before ending the quarter on a 5-0 run. WKU started hot, shooting 50% from the field, before falling flat. In the second quarter, the struggles continued, with the team shooting 30.8% from the field. The Lady Techsters pulled away by as much as 19 in the quarter. Mead led the team in scoring into the half with eight points and five rebounds.
The second half was a completely different story. WKU outscored LA Tech 19-8 in the third quarter, holding them to just 3-9 from the field. The defense led the comeback, forcing eight turnovers.
The Lady Toppers will return to Diddle Arena when they host Jacksonville State on Saturday at 2 p.m. The game can be watched on ESPN +
