BOWLING GREEN (Ky.) WKU women’s basketball continues on the road against Middle Tennessee in Murfreesboro (Tennessee) on Saturday. Tipoff will be at 3 p.m.
Game Info
WKU (14-5 C-USA, 7-1 C) at Middle Tennessee (4-4, 6-2C-USA).
Saturday, Jan. 29 | 3 p.m.
Murphy Center
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Game Notes
Information about the Lady Toppers
WKU lost its first Conference USA defeat on Thursday night at UAB (86-70). Four Lady Toppers were able to score in double figures. Meral Abdelgawad With 28 points, he led all scorers Alexis Mead 17 additional points Mya Merritt There were 13 Macey Brovins 11.
Mya Merritt On Monday, she was awarded her fourth consecutive C-USA Freshman Of The Week award. This is the fourth consecutive win for the rookie in the C-USA Freshman of the Week category since the 2010-11 season.
The Lady Toppers are proud of their defense and it shows. WKU’s 226 steals for the season is the 10th highest in the country. Their 11.9 steals per match ranks 14th in NCAA. These marks are the best in C-USA. WKU also forces 22.05 turnovers per match, which is the 15th highest rate in the country. The Lady Toppers keep opponents at 26.9 percent from their perimeter, which is 43rd nationally.
WKU’s offensive team shares the ball well, scoring 287 assists for the season. This is a record that leads C-USA, and WKU ranks 51st nationally. With 72.8 points per match, the Lady Toppers are conference’s top scoring team. WKU’s offense is very efficient. It leads the league in 3-point field goal percentage (34.2%), and second in the league with field goal percentage (43.5%).
Abdelgawad, who averages 20.5 points per match, is the top scorer in C-USA. This makes her the 12th highest in the country. She is also the league’s leading scorer with 390 points, which ranks her 13th nationally. She is second in conference with 49 steals and 24th among NCAA players. On the season, she’s shooting 54.1 per cent from the field. This is the second highest percentage in the conference for a CUSA guard.
WKU currently has five freshmen and they have been a big part of the team’s success. Through 19 games, the freshmen have contributed 54.0 percent to WKU’s total points. Meredith leads the charge with an average of 13.5 points per match. Alexis Mead She is second with an average of 10.6 points per match.
Meredith has 40 steals for the season, which is fourth in C-USA. She’s also the top rookie scorer in the league. Mead has 67 assists for the season, which is the most among all freshman in the league and fifth overall.
Abdelgawad, WKU’s only senior and upperclassman, is Abdelgawad. Conference USA’s Lady Toppers have only one upperclassman. All other teams have at most four.
WKU women’s basketball will be playing in the 2021-22 season, which is the 60th.
Series History vs. Middle Tennessee
WKU’s most-played opponent in program history is Middle Tennessee. They have played each other 78 times.
WKU has a record of 33-45 against Middle Tennessee. The Lady Toppers have a record of 6-4 in the 10 previous meetings.
All-time, Murfreesboro’s Lady Toppers have a record of 9-27 against the Lady Raiders. WKU leads Bowling Green 23-15
The Lady Toppers hosted the Lady Raiders at Bowling Green in January 2021. Both matchups were won by Middle Tennessee.
Notes Middle Tennessee
With a record of 6-2, the Lady Raiders rank third in the C-USA East Division standings. Middle Tennessee is also the league’s No. 1 NET ranking. 50. This season, the Lady Raiders are 7-1 at home.
Middle Tennessee’s average defense is giving up just 55.3 points per match, which ranks second among C-USA teams. On the season, the Lady Raiders average 9.6 3-pointers per match.
Dor Saar averages 2.72 points per game and has the highest number of 3-pointers.
Four players in Middle Tennessee average double-digit points. Kseniya malashka, the team’s highest scorer, averages 13.5 points per match. Saar averages 12.6 points, Courtney Whitson averages 12.5 points, and Jalynn Greg is scoring 11.1 point.
Whitson, who averages 7.5 boards per match, is the team’s best rebounder.
Next
WKU will be returning to Bowling Green in order to host Charlotte and Old Dominion.
