Turnovers doom Lady Techsters in loss at Western Kentucky

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – In another defensive-minded Conference USA match-up, the Louisiana Tech women’s basketball team fell short Saturday afternoon in a 64-50 loss to Western Kentucky inside the E.A. Diddler Arena.

The Lady Techsters fall to 8-5 on the year and 0-2 in conference play, while Western Kentucky improves to 9-4 overall and 2-0 in the conference.

Out and running early, the Lady Techsters surged out in front on a jumper from sophomore Anna Larr Roberson, a layup and a pair of free throws by Junior Keiunna Walker and a layup by freshman Amaya Brannon to take an 8-2 lead just two minutes into the game.

Western Kentucky answered with a 12-0 burst of their own to take their first lead of the afternoon at 14-8 with 2:04 left in the opening frame. The Lady Toppers went on to take a 17-11 lead into the second period.

Three straight turnovers by the Lady Techsters to start the second stanza, helped the Lady Toppers extend their lead out to 23-11 with 8:12 remaining in the first half. Another layup by Roberson and a corner three by sophomore Lotte Sant cut the deficit down to 23-16 with 6:46 left in the second quarter.

A pair of layups by freshman Robyn Lee cut Western Kentucky’s lead down to 28-22 but the Lady Toppers were able to push their lead back out to double-figures with a pair of free throws and a layup.

Trailing by ten with five second remaining in the half Lotte Sant was hacked on a three, cutting the deficit down to 25-32 at the break.

Western Kentucky extended their lead out to as much as 13 at 46-33 as the Lady Techsters when cold shooting. Tech shot just 2-of-11 from the field by only trailed 46-35 entering the fourth quarter.

Trailing by 11 with ten minutes to play, the Lady Techsters sparked a 10-0 run to cut the deficit down to one at 46-45 with 6:39 remaining in the game. Roberson, Walker and freshman Silvia Nativi all contributed to the run, keeping Tech in striking distance.

The Lady Toppers responded with a trio of threes and a layup to push their lead back out to double-figures at 57-47 with 4:43 left in the game. A pair of layups and another three by Western Kentucky lifted the Lady Toppers to a 64-50 win.

NOTABLES
• The Lady Techsters falls to 27-24 all-time against the Lady Toppers and to 9-15 in games played in Bowling Green.
• Tech moves to 2-2 all-time in games played on New Year’s Day.
• Keiunna Walker scored a team-high 18 points, extending her double-figures scoring streak to 14 games.
• Walker has now scored in double-figures in 32-of-her-last 34 games and is one of just four players to have scored in double-figures in every game this season.
• Anna Larr Roberson added 14 points for the Lady Techsters. It was her 31st double-figure scoring outing.
• Roberson also grabbed a team-high eight rebounds and has now led the team in rebounds in 11 games this season.
• Silvia Nativi collected a season-high five steals this afternoon.
• Tech turned the ball over 23 times, its second most of the season and most in a conference game since turning it over 27 time at Marshall on Jan. 24, 2019.
• The Lady Techsters forced 29 turnovers today, the second most of the season. It was the fifth time this season the Lady Techsters have forced 20 or more in a game and the 104th time since the 2010-11 season.
• Tech shot just 29.6 percent from the field, its third lowest shooting percentage in a game this season and the lowest in a C-USA game since the Lady Techsters shot 27.8 percent at Southern Miss last season.
QUOTABLES
Head Coach Brooke Stoehr
“The live ball turnovers in the first half really hurt us. They led to transition points and those are difficult to defend. Proud of the effort of the group on the floor that got it to one in the fourth quarter. We had a chance and gave up a transition bucket after a made layup on our end. We have to continue to grow and find a way to manufacture some points from our defense. We didn’t do that very well this week and have to get back to that especially when we’re on the road. We had a tough week. There is a lot of basketball left to be played. We have to get back to work this week and take care of our home court.”

UP NEXT
The Lady Techsters return home for the first time since Dec. 10 when they host UTEP in their conference home opener on Jan. 6 at 6:30 p.m. inside the Thomas Assembly Center.

SOCIAL MEDIA
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