Nathan Morgan/Daily News Western Kentucky forward Jalynn McClain (center) fights for a rebound Thursday with East Carolina's Elise Shelton during the first round of the Women's National Invitation Tournament at E.A. Diddle Arena. WKU won 88-77 in overtime and will play Auburn in the second round.

For the first time in six years, the Western Kentucky women’s basketball team doesn’t have to watch the postseason continue from home.

The Lady Toppers (22-10) rallied to beat East Carolina 88-77 in overtime Thursday in the Women’s National Invitation Tournament at E.A. Diddle Arena, logging the program’s first postseason victory since 2007.

“It means a lot,” sophomore forward Chastity Gooch said. “I feel like we made a statement tonight.”

WKU’s last postseason win before Thursday was against Hofstra in the quarterfinals of the 2007 WNIT.

The Lady Toppers lost the following game to Wisconsin, and they fell to Texas El-Paso the next season in the first round of the NCAA tournament. They also lost at home to Illinois in the first round of the 2010 WNIT.

The slide since 2007 was the program’s longest drought between postseason wins. It’ll return to action at 2 p.m. CDT Sunday at Auburn in the second round of the WNIT.

“It’s huge, it really is,” WKU coach Michelle Clark-Heard said. “To be able to get back here at home, and for the fans to be able to see that – that quote we talked about early, ‘On the Rise,’ we’re trying to keep growing this program and get it back where it needs to, and today was a big part of that.”

No coaches or players on the current team were a part of WKU’s 2010 opening-round WNIT loss. There are no seniors and seven newcomers.

But the Lady Tops learned long ago those numbers hardly matter, sophomore guard Alexis Govan said.

“Once we started rolling, I knew this team was special,” she said. “Our freshmen aren’t freshmen. Our sophomores aren’t sophomores. Our juniors might as well be seniors, and the way we play for each other and how passionate we are is special.”

A crowd of 744 fans watched WKU break through with a tournament win Thursday.

That attendance number was lower than the 778 Auburn drew Wednesday for its first-round game, which is likely one of the reasons the Lady Tops will hit the road for a trip to Alabama.

But if WKU doesn’t get back to Diddle Arena this season, Heard feels good about the lasting memory her team left until next year, she said.

“We wanted to make sure that we left the fans hungry and if this was the last time we played here, that they would be ready for next season and couldn’t wait,” Heard said. “That was a thriller right there, so I know people will be excited.”

Walz watches thriller

Heard orchestrated a comeback Thursday in front of some special guests.

Louisville coach Jeff Walz sat courtside with his staff and former WKU coach Paul Sanderford as the Lady Tops knocked off East Carolina.

Heard was an assistant for Walz at Louisville for five seasons, and the two remain good friends. They shared an embrace after the game as Heard prepared for her postgame radio interview.

“It meant a lot,” Heard said. “When you work with someone for so long, we’re all like family. That was a big deal for me.”

Walz, whose Cardinals face Middle Tennessee on Sunday in the NCAA tournament, served as an assistant coach at WKU and Nebraska under Sanderford early in his career.

He and Heard have agreed to renew the series between Louisville and WKU next season, and U of L will come to Diddle Arena first.

Walz has been impressed so far by Heard’s work on the Hill, he said.

“I just hope everybody in Bowling Green really understands what she’s done,” Walz said. “Coming in here with 21 wins and re-energizing everything, it’s exciting to see. And there’s no doubt she’ll continue to recruit and get players.

“It’s a nice turnout tonight, and hopefully the crowd will continue to come and get it back to how it was when Paul was here and Michelle played.”

WNIT update

WKU’s win was one of 23 games on the WNIT docket Thursday night. The first round concludes today with four games, including Sun Belt Conference runner-up Arkansas-Little Rock at Pacific.

The Sun Belt’s Florida International lost 75-68 at home to Florida on Thursday. Sydney Moss, Kentucky’s 2012 Miss Basketball, scored 28 points for Florida, while Jerica Coley poured in 37 points for FIU.

If WKU were to beat Auburn on Sunday, it would face the winner of Arkansas and Tulane in the third round, which begins Wednesday.