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BOWLING GREEN, Ky.—Preseason John Wooden Award candidate Crystal Kelly lived up to her billing Friday night for the Western Kentucky women’s basketball team and the Lady Toppers used a 15-3 run to close the first half to seize control of the contest en route to a 75-56 victory over the visiting University of Evansville Purple Aces at E.A. Diddle Arena in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
Kelly paced four Lady Toppers in double-figures with 27 points and nine rebounds on 8-of-12 shooting from the floor and 11-for-14 shooting from the foul line. Fellow forward Charlotte Marshall added a double-double with 13 points and 13 boards, and the two combined for nine of Western Kentucky’s 15 points in the key 15-3 first-half run which gave WKU a double-digit lead it would never lose.
After UE sophomore Amy Gallagher scored eight-straight points to help Evansville trim a 12-point deficit back to just four, 20-16, with 7:22 to play in the first half, Kelly and Marshall went to work to help Western Kentucky build a 16-point halftime lead. Kelly would score seven of WKU’s nine points at one point during the run, and Marshall added four rebounds, two points, and an assist to fuel the run. UE would trim the deficit back to 13 points early in the second half, but the Purple Aces could get no closer in dropping to 1-2 on the season.
“Rebounding and turnovers were really the difference in this game,” said UE head coach Tricia Cullop. “Anytime you give up 23 offensive rebounds, especially to a good team like Western Kentucky, you are not going to win too many games.
“We also didn’t do a good job of taking care of the basketball in the first half, and that led to too many easy opportunities. This is just one game though. We’ll have to regroup and get ready for another tough game Monday at Morehead State.”
Sophomore guard Amy Gallagher paced the Purple Aces with a career-high 13 points and six rebounds. Junior guard Ashley Austin also chipped in nine points, while junior forward Robyn Jennings added eight points and eight rebounds, all in the second half.
With the victory, Western Kentucky improves to 2-1, while Evansville falls to 1-2. The Purple Aces will return to action next on Monday night, as UE will travel to Morehead, Kentucky to battle the Morehead State University Eagles (1-1). Tip-off is set for 6:00 p.m. central time and the game can be heard live in the Tri-State area on 91.5 F.M.-WUEV.
