WKU Women’s Basketball fell victim to second-half shooting struggles in the semifinals of the CUSA tournament Friday, losing to the Middle Tennessee State Lady Raiders 71-63.
WKU could not buy a bucket in the second half shooting only 30% from the field and 33.3% from 3-point range. MTSU took advantage, shooting 47.8% from the field, and 55.6% from the 3-point line in the second half on their way to victory.
The Lady Toppers were firing on all cylinders in the first half, shooting 41.7% percent from the floor along with 46.7% from beyond the arc.
Despite the loss, senior guard Alexis Mead put on a show in what could be her last time wearing a WKU jersey. Mead had 19 points on very good efficiency shooting 86% from the floor and 80% from 3-point range.
Junior guard Josie Gilvin contributed 12 points, along with a career-high of 14 rebounds, earning her sixth double-double of the season and her career. With junior guard Acacia Hayes unavailable, sophomore guard Mackenzie Chatfield tacked on 10 points and four assists.
First Half
Neither team pulled away early in the first, trading points back and forth. The Lady Toppers had a slim 10-7 advantage heading into the media timeout behind five points from Mead.
The Lady Toppers went on a 7-2 run out of the media timeout taking a 17-9 lead. However, MTSU countered with a 10-1 run, taking a 19-18 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The Lady Toppers took control early in the second quarter. WKU jumped out to a 12-2 run going into a timeout with a 30-21 lead.
MTSU closed the gap with 3-point shooting, pulling the deficit to 30-27. WKU maintained a slight 37-34 lead at halftime.
Second Half
MTSU continued chipping away coming out of halftime, pulling the score to 39-38. WKU looked to pull away once again, however MTSU had an answer for everything as WKU took a 46-45 lead going into the media timeout. Going into the fourth quarter the Lady Toppers held on to a 51-49 lead.
Points were difficult to come by for both teams early in the fourth, combining for just eight points in the first four minutes. MTSU tied the game for the ninth time going into the media timeout 56-56. MTSU took a 59-56 lead with just three minutes left.
The sharp shooting of senior guard Jalynn Gregory led MTSU as she scored nine straight. MTSU took a 65-59 lead with just 36 seconds left. Despite the Lady Toppers’ best efforts, the late burst from MTSU was too much as the Lady Toppers fell 71-63.
With the loss, the Lady Toppers’ NCAA tournament hopes fall short. The Lady Toppers finish out the season 23-9.
Sports Reporter Peyton Reid can be reached at peyton.reid502@topper.wku.edu.
