WKU Women’s Basketball short-circuited in their 87-49 loss against the Vanderbilt Commodores.

This marks the Lady Toppers’ second home loss and third overall. The battle against Vanderbilt never seemed hopeful. From the first possession, it seemed that WKU couldn’t find a path to victory over its opponents. The loss was disappointing, but not unexpected.

Underdogs from the start

Despite being known for the hill, WKU couldn’t win its uphill battle against Vanderbilt. They were outperformed in every way by their opponents.

The Commodores managed nine more assists, 16 more rebounds, 12 more steals and 13 fewer turnovers than the Lady Toppers.

WKU didn’t just lose to Vanderbilt; they became jesters on their own court.

A diamond in the rough

The Lady Toppers didn’t have many apparent strengths against Vanderbilt, but it wasn’t all bad.

Redshirt sophomore forward Tatum Boettjer made herself WKU’s biggest offensive asset on Wednesday. Her shooting took her to 12 points, which made her one of two Lady Toppers with double-digit points.

In the team’s game against Kentucky State University, Boettjer came out of nowhere. She posted 18 points on 6-10 shooting, but she failed to bring that offensive presence to WKU’s following games.

Her resurgence in the Vanderbilt game allowed the Lady Toppers to limit Vanderbilt’s lead.

Sophomore guard Salma Khedr didn’t shoot great, but she seemed like the only player on the court who could lead the offense.

Her decisions seemed intentional and smart, something that can’t be said for the rest of the team. That only lasted so long, though, as she went down with an ankle injury during the third quarter.

A striking loss

The Commodores never took their foot off the gas, and they fought for their win until the very last minute.

Nobody on the Lady Toppers, with the exceptions of Boettjer and Khedr, played with confidence. They played timidly.

Players who led the team in previous games seemed on their back foot against Vanderbilt. Senior guard Tia Shelling was the MVP of WKU’s game against Wichita State, but she was absent from her performance against Vanderbilt.

She turned the ball over eight times, which is double her previous high in turnovers.

None of the team’s other offensive stars performed any better against Vanderbilt. Torri James, Jennifer Silva, and Zsofia Telegdy struggled to gain any ground against the Commodores’ defense.

The performance was disappointing, but the loss isn’t just a failing of the Lady Toppers.

WKU wasn’t given time to shine. Vanderbilt shot daggers through their defense, and they played confidently. Nothing shook the Commodores’ resolve.

Vanderbilt decided the game’s outcome before it started, and there seemed to be little the Lady Toppers could do about it.

The blind leading the blind

To speak in WKU’s defense, the referees seemed incapable of making good calls.

It’s something that’s appeared in all of the Lady Toppers’ home games, but it was impossible to miss on Wednesday. Vanderbilt got away with fouls on both sides of the court, and the officials were none the wiser.

On the other hand, the Lady Toppers were penalized for fouls that the referees apparently hallucinated. It was an egregious and very annoying miscarriage of justice.

An unsure future

WKU Women’s Basketball will hit the road to play the University of Illinois Fighting Illini in Urbana-Champaign, IL.

After two losses back-to-back, the Lady Toppers are sure to be eager for a comeback game. If they want to succeed against Illinois, they’ll need to play with determination.

Earning a win could mean some hope for the team, but a loss could exacerbate the cracks in its foundation.

The taste of victory isn’t unfamiliar to the Lady Toppers, but they’ll need to fight if they want it again.