WKU Women’s Basketball fell apart in the first ‘100 Miles of Hate’ contest of the season, suffering an 81-58 blowout loss at Middle Tennessee State Saturday afternoon.
The Lady Raiders bested the Lady Toppers in nearly every way they could. MTSU finished with 44% field-goal and 3-point shooting, 42 total rebounds and 19 second-chance points. WKU shot just 31% from the floor and from beyond the arc, grabbed just 27 boards and scored only five-second chance points.
“We just had a hard time on the offense and getting anything to fall in,” Head Coach Greg Collins said.
MTSU’s offensive rhythm began as early as the first quarter and set the tone for the game. Lady Raider senior guard Alayna Contreras scored 14 of her team-high 25 points in the opening period, pushing MTSU to a 26-15 lead after the first.
MTSU’s effective defense limited WKU’s quiet offense to just eight points in the second quarter. The Lady Raiders took advantage, scoring 20 points off of a 50% mark from the field and from long range. MTSU led 46-23 at halftime.
The Lady Toppers showed resilience in the third quarter, outscoring the Lady Raiders 19-18. Sophomore guard Salma Khedr scored nine of her team-high 13 points in the period. Redshirt sophomore forward Tatum Boettjer played effectively in the third, scoring six points off of 66% 3-point shooting.
The Lady Toppers trailed 64-42 entering the fourth quarter. Diminished effort from both teams meant an evenly matched final period in which MTSU outscored WKU 17-16. The Lady Toppers eventually fell 81-58.
“I can’t coach effort,” Collins said. “At some point, if you (Lady Toppers) want it bad enough, you go after it.”
Senior guard Yendri Acosta, who saw considerable minutes in WKU’s loss to Delaware, played sporadically throughout the afternoon. She finished with three points in her 20 minutes played.
“She’s been playing well in practice, and even (the) last time she got in, she got some steals,” Collins said of Acosta. “I really like her effort.”
The loss extends WKU’s losing streak to five and drops the Lady Toppers to 5-15 overall and 1-8 in Conference USA.
The Lady Toppers stay on the road next week as they face Florida International University Thursday, Feb. 5 and Missouri State Saturday, Feb. 7.