Lady Toppers Host Florida Atlantic Thursday Afternoon

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (WBKO) - Home for the first time in 19 days, the WKU women’s basketball team will host Florida Atlantic on Thursday afternoon in E.A. Diddle Arena with a seven-game winning streak on the line. The game is an Education Game and local schools will be in attendance.

All fans will receive free admission to Thursday’s game.

Game Info

WKU (12-4, 5-0 C-USA) vs. Florida Atlantic (4-11, 0-4 C-USA)

Thursday, Jan. 20 | 11 a.m.

Bowling Green, Ky. | E.A. Diddle Arena

Watch (CUSA.tv) | Listen (ESPN 102.7) | Live Stats

About the Lady Toppers

WKU is off to a 5-0 start in C-USA play after a pair of road wins in Texas last week. The Lady Toppers defeated Rice, 78-61, and North Texas, 61-54.
Meral Abdelgawad was named the C-USA Player of the Week on Monday for the third time this season. The senior was also named to the Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year midseason watch list on Wednesday.
Mya Meredith earned her third consecutive C-USA Freshman of the Week honor on Monday.
WKU’s defensive pressure has shown up statistically. The Lady Toppers’ 22.31 forced turnovers per game is the 15th most in the nation and their 12.0 steals per game is 18th nationally. WKU is holding teams to a 24.9 three-point field goal percentage on the season which ranks 20th in the nation.
The Lady Toppers have held four straight teams below 70 points and three of the last four teams below 60. WKU is 49-13 under head coach Greg Collins when holding teams below 70 and 24-4 when keeping them below 60.
On the offensive side, WKU has dished out 244 assists on the season which leads C-USA and is 53rd nationally. The Lady Toppers’ 8.1 made 3-pointers per game is the second most in the league and 38th in the NCAA. WKU is averaging 72.1 points per game, which is the highest rate in the conference.
Abdelgawad is WKU’s leading scorer, averaging 20.3 points per game, which leads C-USA. Her 324 total points on the season also leads the conference and is 13th in the country. Abdelgawad is also leading the Lady Toppers on the glass, pulling down 7.8 boards per game. She also has the second most steals in the league with 44.
WKU has five true freshmen on the roster and the rookies have made an impact. The freshmen are scoring 54.8 percent of WKU’s points through 15 games. Meredith is leading the way, averaging 13.4 points per game and Alexis Mead is behind her with a 10.3 points per game average.
Abdelgawad is the lone senior and upperclassman for WKU. The Lady Toppers are the only team in Conference USA with only one upperclassman. All other teams have at least four.
The 2021-22 season is the 60th for WKU women’s basketball.

Series History vs. Florida Atlantic

WKU and FAU have played 24 times in series history with WKU owning a 21-3 record against the Owls. The series dates back to 2006.
The two teams faced off twice in Bowling Green last season, splitting the pair of games. WKU won the first game, 71-64, and FAU won the second, 75-70.
The Lady Toppers have a 12-1 record against the Owls in Bowling Green all-time.

Florida Atlantic Notes

The Owls come into Thursday’s matchup looking to end a six-game losing streak that dates back to Dec. 7. Despite being winless in C-USA play, FAU has had several close games including a 60-56 loss to Middle Tennessee. In all four games, the Owls have been within two possessions heading into the second half or final quarter.
Amber Gaston leads FAU in scoring, putting up 13.1 points per game. Janeta Rozentale is the team’s leading rebounds, pulling down 8.2 boards per game.

Up Next

WKU will host FIU on Saturday, Jan. 22 at noon in Diddle Arena. The 1992 Lady Topper team that played in the national title game will be honored during the game.

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