Kendall Noble leads WKU past Techsters

RUSTON – It was Louisiana Tech senior night at the Thomas Assembly Center but it was a junior from Western Kentucky that stole the show.

Lady Toppers guard Kendall Noble scored 29 points, grabbed six rebounds, recorded five steals and added three assists to lead WKU to a 69-58 win over the Lady Techsters before 1905 fans Saturday night.

With the loss, Tech (14-15, 9-9 C-USA) dropped to the No. 7 seed in the upcoming Conference USA Tournament and will play the No. 10 seed Rice Owls Wednesday at 5 p.m. at Bartow Arena in Birmingham, Alabama.

For the second straight game, the Lady Techsters struggled offensively. Tech shot just 31 percent from the field in the first half, scoring just two points in the first seven minutes of play, but trailed just 26-22 at the break.

“We just aren’t shooting the basketball very well right now,” said Tech head coach Tyler Summitt. “Western Kentucky got out and really got after us. Their guards are long and really caused us some issues. Our best offense tonight was on the offensive boards.”

Both teams heated up in the second half. However, the Lady Techsters didn’t start finding any type of offensive rhythm until after WKU built a 48-32 lead on a jumper by Tashia Brown with 1:08 to play in the third quarter. Back-to-back buckets by Tech cut the deficit to 48-36 at the end of the third quarter.

Tech continued its momentum early in the fourth quarter and when Kierra Anthony hit a jumper with 5:17 to play in the game, the Lady Techsters trailed just 54-48. However, Noble answered, hitting a long three as WKU pushed the lead back out to double figures to seal the win.

Brandi Wingate led Tech with 18 points and Jasmine LeBlanc added 10 points for Tech.

Brown added 17 points for WKU.