by Cole McIntire, Sports Director, The Extra Point
(BOWLING GREEN, Ky) – Active hands. Constant movement. Clear confusion.
Today was every fundamental coach’s dream.
“The number one thing I’m proud of is that ball movement,” head coach Greg Collins said. “The unselfish play on offense is the key, we take pride in that.”
Coach Collins’ squad defended their home court from the first moment of the game. The Lady Toppers never trailed in the contest and held the lead for 39:41 (99.2% of the game).
WKU blitzed Sam Houston with 16 steals in the contest, showing why they are a top 20 steals program nationally. The Bearkats posted nine assists with 30 turnovers in the contest as a result of the tenacious Lady Topper defense.
Junior guard Josie Gilvin and sophomore guard Mackenzie Chatfield propelled the red and white early. The New Zealand native posted her first double-double with 13 points and 10 assists.
“The numbers are nice, but the win is nicer,” Chatfield said. “We put a lot of faith in each other.”
Gilvin’s intensity charted 12 points, eight rebounds, two steals, and a block.
“Josie [Gilvin] is the Energizer Bunny,” said Collins. “She should have an NIL deal with Red Bull … she’s relentless.”
THE BREAKDOWN
Coach Collins loves his defense. During the team’s media day in October, Destiny Salary talked about the defensive intensity shown in practice. It showed early in the first quarter.
Within four minutes, senior guard Destiny Salary, Chatfield, and Gilvin all charted one steal to propel themselves to an early 10-5 lead.
At the end of the first quarter, WKU posted a suffocating defense onslaught. Sam Houston charted just 10 points combined with troubling 10 turnovers. The Lady Topper defense held the Lady Bearkats to a 3-11 shooting performance from the field in the period.
Sam Houston responded with a 6-0 run in the second frame. Both offenses started to open up with the teams trading shots. Then WKU showed why their defense forces the third most turnovers in CUSA. Punctuated by a 21-2 run in the final 5:49, WKU out-clawed Sam Houston to propel themselves to a 47-22 lead.
Two key playmakers emerged in the first half, Chatfield posted seven assists to combine with Mead’s five. The 21-2 run entailed multiple forced turnovers at a rapid pace for WKU.
Chatfield cashed in her assists for points in the third period, leading WKU with eight in the quarter. Destiny Salary followed with six points. The Lady Toppers posted a 7-13 performance from the field and were 2-3 from range in the quarter. With seven forced turnovers, WKU extended their command, leading 65-33.
In the fourth, the Lady Toppers maintained their advantage. Younger players like freshman guard Salma Khedr and senior guard Caleigh-Rose West earned quality minutes to close the game.
WKU will travel to El Paso, Texas to battle with the Miners on Thursday, January 30th at 8 p.m. CT.
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