Western Kentucky is measuring growth on and off the court.

In Western Kentucky’s case, team chemistry off the court translates to trust on the court, which has helped the Lady Toppers earn two wins in Conference USA – two wins that presented a pair of unique challenges.

“I think we’ve grown a lot since the season started,” WKU freshman Sherry Porter said. “These last games we’ve been growing together and just trusting each other on defense. If someone drives past me, I trust my next teammate on the floor to help me out and we’ve been playing together.”

Another different challenge approaches WKU (11-4 overall, 2-0 C-USA) with a much-improved Florida International team coming to close out a four-game WKU homestand Thursday at 7 p.m. at E.A. Diddle Arena. The game is available for online streaming at CUSA.tv.

In the C-USA opener against Middle Tennessee, WKU overcame poor shooting with better defense. Saturday against Southern Miss, the Lady Toppers broke away with a 26-10 fourth quarter for a 21-point win that felt much closer than the final margin.

Both games, coach Michelle Clark-Heard said, were special wins in their own right.

“I felt the last two games were two different types of games, but we grew in both games,” Heard said. “Handling adversity with Tashia (Brown) on the bench (against MTSU) and not playing as great a defense in Saturday’s game (against Southern Miss), but coming back and playing really well in the fourth quarter, that’s what it’s all about as a team.”

Tashia Brown enters as the conference’s leading scorer at 23.1 points per game – good for fifth nationally – on a Lady Topper team with a 13-game home winning streak against C-USA opponents.

FIU (4-11, 1-1) is arguably better than its record under second-year coach Tiara Malcolm, who took the helm in midseason last year.

The Panthers are coming off their biggest win of the year, a 67-54 home victory over Marshall from Sunday. They lost three of their previous four prior to Sunday by a combined total of six points, including a two-point loss to Clemson.

Redshirt junior Kiandre’a Pound, the 2015-16 C-USA Freshman of the Year, paces FIU with 14.3 points and 9.9 rebounds per game.

“Credit to FIU, they’ve been playing really well,” Heard said. “They get up and down the floor and they shoot the ball well and have kids that can score in multiple ways. They rebound well, so we’re going to stay locked in and focused on the things we need to do.

“The most important thing is they’re growing and (Malcolm) is trying to build a culture. She’s setting the table for them to continue to be in games and them getting on the road and playing, I think it’s going to be a big test for us.”

Heard remembers late Wes Strader

WKU’s coach shared thoughts and memories of the late Wes Strader, the longtime voice of the Hilltoppers who passed away Tuesday. He was 79.

Heard, like many in WKU’s athletic community, talked about the lasting impression Strader left on Hilltopper athletics. Strader served as WKU’s play-by-play radio broadcaster for football and men’s basketball for 36 years until 2000, but still was a familiar face up to this season at Diddle Arena and Houchens-Smith Stadium.

“An amazing icon to Western Kentucky,” Heard said. “It doesn’t make a difference if its women’s basketball or men’s basketball: I’ve known Wes a long time as a former player and then coming back and being embraced by him and always seeing his face on the sideline and going up and talking to him during the guy’s games. I always sat by him just to really get a lot of his wisdom and words. We lost a great one and I’m just so blessed and fortunate to be around him twice in my life as far as a player and a coach.”

Probable starters

Western Kentucky – Tashia Brown, f, 6-1, sr. (23.1 ppg, 5.5 rpg); Whitney Creech, g, 5-8, so. (9.0 ppg, 3.2 rpg); Ivy Brown, f, 6-1, sr. (15.5 ppg, 9.7 rpg); Sidnee Bopp, g, 5-6, jr. (6.1 ppg, 1.7 apg); Raneem Elgedawy, f, 6-4, fr. (8.8 ppg, 7.1 rpg)

Florida International – Kiandre’a Pound, g/f, 6-0, r-jr. (14.3 ppg, 9.9 rpg); Lauryn Snipes, g, 5-11, fr. (5.1 ppg, 3.9 rpg); Kayla Rogers, g, 5-8, so. (5.6 ppg, 3.5 apg); Kristian Hudson, g, 5-5, jr. (14.1 ppg, 4.9 rpg); Callie Cavanaugh, g, 6-1, fr. (6.6 ppg, 5.0 rpg)

Online Stream – CUSA.tv

Radio ESPN 102.7 FM or 1450 AM

Coaches Michelle Clark-Heard (141-43 sixth year; 165-75 overall), Western Kentucky; Tiara Malcolm (10-38 second year; 10-38 overall) FIU.

Series Record Western Kentucky leads 28-9 (WKU won the last meeting 90-38 on Jan. 1, 2017).

Last time out Western Kentucky won 81-60 against Southern Mississippi on Saturday; FIU won 67-54 at home against Marshall on Sunday.{&end}