With help from a dominant performance from senior guard Alexis Mead, WKU Women’s Basketball stayed alive in the CUSA tournament Thursday with a 73-66 win over the Florida International University Panthers.
Mead totaled 21 points, six rebounds, and nine assists, while consistently hitting shots keeping the Lady Toppers ahead. Junior guard Josie Gilvin put up 17 points and 10 rebounds while shooting 63% from the field.
The Lady Toppers shot 42% from the field and 33% from three. The Panthers were held to just 21% from the field.
First Half
The Lady Toppers started hot, leading 17-5 with just over three minutes left in the first quarter. A 7-2 Panthers run the rest of the way kept FIU in the game, and the Lady Toppers led 19-12 after the first.
Junior forward Zsofia Telegdy started strong with six points. Junior guard Josie Gilvin scored five and grabbed five rebounds.
The Lady Toppers offense was dreadful in the second quarter, only hitting four shots. The Panthers climbed back into the game, despite only scoring 13 points. The Lady Toppers led by just four going into halftime by a score of 29-25. Senior guard Alexis Mead kept the Lady Toppers afloat, scoring four points in the quarter.
Second Half
The halftime break seemed to rejuvenate the offense, as the Lady Toppers were scorching from the field, shooting nearly 50%. Senior guard Acacia Hayes dominated, scoring eight points and hitting two 3-pointers. Mead continued her consistency scoring seven of her own. The offensive output drove the Lady Toppers to a 53-46 lead going into the fourth.
The Hilltopper defense put together a masterclass in the fourth quarter, holding the Panthers to only five points before the final three minutes. The offense was led by a team approach, as five different Lady Toppers scored in the quarter.
Although FIU came back late in the game, the Lady Toppers’ dominance from both ends led to a 73-66 win over FIU.
Next up for the Lady Toppers is a rubber match against Middle Tennessee State tomorrow at 8 p.m. on ESPN+.
Sports Reporter Austin Rice can be reached at [email protected]
