The pickaxes were too sharp for WKU women’s basketball Thursday, as the Lady Toppers fell to UTEP 73-68.
In a game that showed two completely different halves, WKU jumped out to an impressive start, scoring 41 points and leading by 16 in the first half. They then made only nine field goals in the second half. The Miners then regrouped, forcing 21 turnovers, holding WKU to 9-21 shooting from the field to come back and win.
Junior guard Alexis Mead led the team in scoring with 20 points and five assists. She also knocked down five threes. Senior guard Teresa Faustino added 17 points, four assists, and four steals. The team overall outshot UTEP in both field goals and three pointers, but UTEP made 10 more free throws, and the seven the Lady Toppers missed proved to be the difference in the game.
The Lady Toppers jumped out to a strong first quarter. Faustino scored eight points in the quarter and knocked down two three-pointers. The team shot 46.7% from the field while holding UTEP to just 33.3% from the field and forcing seven turnovers.
In the second quarter, Faustino added another three points and three rebounds, while Mead led the scoring with 12 points. She shot 3-3 from three and 100% from the field. The Miners shot 3-13 from the field and turned the ball over eight more times, bringing their total for the half to 15, a dominating performance by the WKU defense while the offense cashed in the turnovers with 11 points off the mistakes. They went to half shooting 43% from the field and 57% from three point.
However, the second half would be different. WKU only made five shots and turned the ball over 11 times in the third quarter, almost doubling their total from the first half. The fourth quarter was the same, as WKU made only four shots in the quarter, bringing their second half total to nine. They went 0-5 from beyond the arc and missed seven crucial free throws.
The Lady Toppers will look to bounce back at New Mexico State on Saturday, Feb. 17 at 3 pm CT.
