The win was the first true road victory of the season for the Lady Toppers as they improved to 7-17 overall and 4-8 in the Sun Belt Conference. Troy dropped to 2-21 and 1-11 in the league.
After Troy got the first basket of the second half to tie the game at 24-24, a Chastity Gooch three-point play and Danay Fothergill three started a 12-1 WKU run as the Lady Toppers were able to open up a 36-25 lead on a pair of Gooch free throws with 14:01 remaining. In fact, WKU was able to hold the Trojans without a basket for nearly six minutes, allowing it to stretch the advantage.
Troy was able to get as close as nine on a pair of free throws, but a 16-6 Lady Topper run allowed them to stretch the advantage to 54-35 on a Jasmine Johnson layup with just over four minutes remaining. WKU limited Troy to just three points in the final eight minutes, and shut out the Trojans in the last 3:45 for the win.
The Lady Toppers were their own worst enemy in the first half, committing 10 turnovers and hitting just four of 11 shots at the free throw line. After three early lead changes, Troy used an 8-2 run to open up a 10-5 lead on a Sophie Kleeman layup. Kleeman finished the half a perfect 4-for-4 from the field for nine of the Trojans's 22 points.
Troy held a 12-7 lead with 12:14 to play before WKU began to chip away. The Lady Toppers were able to pull within two on three different occasions, then cut it to a 17-16 game on a Chastity Gooch layup with 6:26 remaining in the period. After Sarah McAppion hit one of two at the stripe, Danay Fothergill knocked down a three to put WKU in front 19-18 - its first lead since the opening minute of the game. After a Troy basket, LaTeira Owens hit a layup and Fothergill buried another three as WKU opened up a 24-20 lead with 1:37 on the clock. However, Dominique Ross got the final bucket of the half for the Trojans, cutting the Lady Topper lead to 24-22 at the break.
In addition to Fothergill and Owens scoring in double figures, Gooch added eight points and eight rebounds off the bench, while Ellen Sholtes dropped in nine. Zoe Sibalich also scored her first career points with a late-game three. Chaney Means dished out a career-high six assists.
WKU returns home on Wednesday, hosting Florida Atlantic at 7:30 p.m. (CST) at E.A. Diddle Arena.
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