GameDay Central | Game Notes

BOWLING GREEN, Kentucky - Louisiana Tech and WKU owned the Sun Belt Conference during the decade that the two women's basketball powers called the league home.

From 1991 through 2001, the Lady Techsters and the Lady Toppers combined to win all but one of the regular season titles and all 10 of the league tournament titles. LA Tech claimed nine regular season crowns (sharing two with WKU) and seven tournament championships while the Lady Toppers captured the remaining three.

After spending the past 13 years playing in different leagues, the two storied programs will once again meet as conference foes with WKU joining Conference USA this season.

The longtime rivalry will be renewed Thursday night when the Lady Techsters enter E.A. Diddle Arena for the 41st meeting between the two programs. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. and the game will be televised on Fox College Sports through the Hilltopper Sports Satellite Network.

WKU (17-3, 6-1) enters the game in a two-way tie for first place in the league standings following Saturday's 64-63 loss at UTSA, snapping its 14-game winning streak. LA Tech (10-8, 5-2) sits in a two-way tie for third place following a two-game home sweep of North Texas and Rice.

"We were proud of the two game home-stand we had against North Texas and Rice," said Tech head coach Tyler Summitt. "I think we were pretty explosive on offense at times, but we are also getting better at defense. That especially showed in the North Texas game. We have to keep improving on defense, but I am proud of the offense. I think the fans liked it a little bit too."

LA Tech is averaging 83.0 points per game while winning six of seven games in Ruston this year. However, on the road, Tech is averaging only 66 points per game - one reason for its 3-7 road record.

"Anytime you go on the road, the emphasis has to be on toughness," Summitt said. "We have to get that. We have been preaching it all year. We have to know that everything can go against you and you still have to perform at a high level. I think we are getting better. If we can shoot on the road as well as we do at home, that would help all of our problems."

Tech continues to receive offensive production from various sources. In Saturday's 88-71 win over Rice, the Lady Techsters scored a season-high 53 points in the second half despite its top two scorers Whitney Frazier and Kelia Shelton combining for only four of those points. Chrisstasia Walter scored a season-high 26 points - 17 in second half - and Kevione Moten scored a career-high 17 points in the win.

"I think our players have really bought into the up-tempo speed and our defense creating the offense," Summitt said. "We will go on a 10-2 stretch and it really is when our defense creates our offense. Now we have to learn how to trap and not get beat if it does not work. That will be this week's emphasis.

"We have gotten better in the half-court offense. I think that is a testament to our players and them knowing their roles. Kevione Moten and Brandi Wingate stepped up. It is a matter of individual players really learning where they fit in our system and how to continually improve. We are going to keep working on that because Western Kentucky is going to throw some different things at us, such as a 1-3-1 and 1-2-2. We will keep improving."

Although LA Tech has taken major strides this year, the two-game road trip against WKU and Marshall will be a measuring stick for Summitt and Co.

"I think these next two game will really tell us if we are about to turn the corner," Summitt said. "These two games are very big. If we can go on the road against one of the top teams in our conference and another really good team who has beaten a lot of teams. [Marshall] has a great system and has almost everyone back. Two tough games and I think that really will help us know if we have turned the corner."

WKU boasts the top offense in Conference USA, averaging 78.4 points per game. Alexis Govan (17.1 ppg, 5.4 rpg), Chastity Gooch (17.0 ppg, 7.5 rpg), Kendall Noble (10.9 ppg, 7.7 rpg) and Micah Jones (10.5 ppg) all average double figures for a Lady Toppers team that is shooting 46 percent from the field.

Tech leads the all-time series against WKU 26-14 although the Lady Toppers won the last meeting 69-54 in 2011-12.

Fans are reminded that tickets for the 2015 Conference USA basketball tournament which will be hosted by UAB in Birmingham (March 11-14) are on sale for $180 which includes tickets to every game (both men's and women's sessions). To purchase your tickets to the tournament or to any Louisiana Tech basketball home game, call the Tech Ticket Office at 318-257-3631, email techtickets@latech.edu or online at Click Here