Led by 19 points from junior guard Josie Gilvin, WKU Women’s Basketball overcame an eight-point deficit Saturday to take down Louisiana Tech 78-73.
The Lady Toppers trailed for most of the game, only taking their first lead with just over two minutes left in the fourth quarter. The Lady Toppers scored 31 points in the fourth quarter, the most in a quarter in conference play. Junior guard Acacia Hayes led the way with eight points, and senior forward Mariama Sow scored three straight shots to keep the Lady Toppers in the game.
Along with Gilvin’s 19 points, the guard grabbed 10 rebounds, with seven being offensive. Hayes dominated, scoring 18 points, and eight in the fourth quarter. Senior guard Alexis Mead continued her consistency, scoring 18 as well.
With the win, the Lady Toppers moved to 19-7 on the season and 10-4 in conference play.
First Half
The Lady Toppers started slow, trailing 11-4 early. Despite making the deficit just one halfway through the first quarter, the Lady Toppers went into the second quarter down 21-16. Three Lady Toppers scored four points in the quarter keeping the game close.
Alexis Mead went nuclear in the second, hitting three 3-pointers bringing the Lady Toppers within one halfway through the quarter. Mead was the only source of offense, scoring nine of the 11 points in the quarter. The Lady Techsters added to their lead, taking a 34-27 lead into the break.
Second Half
The Lady Topper offense got back on track in the third quarter, scoring 20 points, led by eight points from Gilvin. The offensive explosion led the Lady Toppers back in the game, trailing 49-47 heading into the final 10 minutes.
The fourth quarter came down to the wire, with the Lady Toppers taking their first lead of the game off an Alexis Mead 3-pointer with two minutes left. Hayes hit a layup to add to the lead and hit clutch free throws to ice the game.
The Lady Toppers will return to Diddle Arena next Thursday against UTEP at 6:30 pm.
Sports Reporter Austin Rice can be reached at Austin.rice714@topper.wku.edu.
