Mya Meredith’s go ahead layup pushes WKU past Charlotte

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (WBKO) - A 5-0 run with 43 seconds left put Charlotte (11-13, 7-8 C-USA) ahead by two, but WKU women’s basketball once again came from behind to clinch a win – doing so this time with four straight points from Mya Meredith, including a game-winning layup with 2.1 seconds left in the game. The Lady Toppers clinched a 75-73 win against the 49ers in Diddle Arena to improve to 14-10 on the season and 11-4 in Conference USA play.

“The most important thing was we just found a way to survive,” said head coach Greg Collins. “We talked about before the game in the locker room that we’ve not had any easy games and don’t expect any of the last six games of the season to be easy. We have to embrace that challenge. We have to want that atmosphere and want to be in that situation.”

Jaylin Foster led WKU in scoring for the fourth time this season, scoring 17 points to go along with seven rebounds. Alexis Mead added 12 points, including eight in the fourth quarter. Acacia Hayes notched 10 points for her 12th double digit game of the season. Meredith led the team on the boards, pulling down nine rebounds, tying a career high.

It was the fifth time this season the Lady Toppers have won a game in which they’ve trailed in the fourth quarter. Overall, the game featured 17 lead changes and 12 ties.

The two teams traded baskets in the first quarter, but four straight points by WKU to end the quarter gave the Lady Toppers a 23-22 lead. The 49ers led for much of the second quarter, but once against WKU scored the last five points of the frame to retake the lead, going into halftime ahead, 40-38.

The second half was dead even with both teams scoring 18 points in the third quarter and 17 points in the fourth. WKU came out strong in the third quarter, pushing their lead to 10 points behind a 10-2 run, but Charlotte responded with a 11-2 run of their own to cut it to one. After the teams traded threes, a Teresa Faustino free throw put WKU ahead 58-56 heading into the final quarter.

Charlotte retook the lead at the beginning of the fourth, but a three from Hayes put WKU back ahead. A 49er free throw tied the game, which was one of six ties in the fourth quarter alone. The score went back and forth, but a Mead layup with 1:25 left put WKU ahead by three. Charlotte then used the 5-0 run that spanned 33 seconds of game time to take a two-point lead. With 34 seconds, Meredith made her first layup to tie the game and then made the go-ahead bucket with 2.1 seconds. Charlotte got off a three at the buzzer, but the shot rimmed out.

WKU forced Charlotte into 23 turnovers, marking the 12th game this season WKU has caused an opponent into 20-or-more miscues. The Lady Toppers are 9-3 on the season when doing so. WKU shot 42.2 (27-64) from the floor during the game. The Lady Toppers improve to 9-1 on the season when shooting 40 percent or better from the field. WKU made eight 3-pointers in the game, moving the season total to 211. That puts the 2022-23 squad just four threes away from third all-time in a season by a WKU team.

The Lady Toppers will return to Diddle Arena on Saturday, Feb. 18 to host Rice at 1 p.m. It will the annual Play4Kay game for WKU.

Copyright 2023 WBKO. All rights reserved.