Michelle Clark-Heard makes it a point to drive home the idea of putting her Western Kentucky women’s basketball team in position game-by-game to play for something bigger.

When the Lady Toppers tip off Thursday night at Southern Mississippi, they’ll have a chance to lay claim to at least a share of another regular-season championship.

“There’s a lot of teams not in that position,” Heard said. “All the days the staff is on them about doing things right, this is the reason why: To be in this position.”

Western Kentucky (21-6 overall, 12-2 Conference USA) starts the last leg of the regular season Thursday in Hattiesburg, Miss., against the Golden Eagles (14-13, 6-8) at 6 p.m. at Reed Green Coliseum. With a win, WKU can claim at least a share of the regular-season title with Alabama-Birmingham. If UAB loses at North Texas on Thursday or Saturday at Texas-San Antonio, WKU would claim the C-USA regular-season title for a second straight season.

“It’ll mean a lot, especially for Tashia (Brown) and Ivy (Brown),” redshirt sophomore Dee Givens said. “That was one of our goals coming into the season, was at least get a regular-season championship for them and let them go out with a bang.”

Tashia Brown certainly went out with flare in WKU’s last outing Friday against Charlotte. In the senior’s last game at E.A. Diddle Arena, she dropped a career-high 38 points on 14-of-29 shooting and was named the C-USA Co-Player of the Week, marking a record fourth time a Lady Topper has earned that honor.

Ivy Brown enters Thursday’s game as the only Division I player in the nation averaging 15 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game.

The senior duo has statistical backing for the league’s top postseason honors in Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. Claiming a regular-season title first and foremost might help that cause.

“I give most of the credit to Tashia and Ivy,” junior Sidnee Bopp said on WKU being in position for another championship. “They’re amazing players and definitely the best players I’ve ever played with, but we’ve all stepped up and played together. It’s amazing to be in this position for the second year in a row.”

When WKU last played Southern Miss, the Browns combined for 45 points and the Lady Toppers outscored the Golden Eagles 43-17 in the second half of an 81-60 win on Jan. 6. It also marked a game when Dee Givens started coming around as one of the league’s top threats off the bench. In C-USA play alone, the Lexington native is averaging 11.1 points and 5.2 rebounds per game.

WKU has won five straight against Southern Miss, the same team the Lady Toppers defeated in last season’s C-USA tournament championship game, but the last three games have come by an average winning margin of 19.3 points.

The Golden Eagles lost four straight before defeating UTEP at home 60-53 on Sunday. WKU will close out the regular season at UTEP on Saturday at 2 p.m., then the C-USA tournament begins Tuesday at The Star in Frisco, Texas.

“I’m very appreciative that this team has bought in so we can be in this position,” Heard said. “That’s the best thing, to work really hard and be in a position to compete for something different than the other teams, that’s what it’s all about.”

Western Kentucky (21-6, 12-2) at Southern Miss (14-13, 6-8)

6 p.m., Thursday, Reed Green Coliseum

Probable starters

Western Kentucky – Tashia Brown, f, 6-1, sr. (23.3 ppg, 5.4 rpg); Whitney Creech, g, 5-8, so. (7.0 ppg, 2.8 rpg); Ivy Brown, f, 6-1, sr. (16.2 ppg, 9.9 rpg); Sidnee Bopp, g, 5-6, jr. (5.0 ppg, 2.1 apg); Raneem Elgedawy, f, 6-4, fr. (8.8 ppg, 7.6 rpg)

Southern Mississippi – Allie Kennedy, g, 5-8, fr. (3.2 ppg, 1.6 rpg); Alarie Mayze, g/f, 5-10, so. (6.3 ppg, 4.0 rpg); Megan Brown, g, 5-10, so. (12.8 ppg, 5.0 rpg); Respect Leaphart, f, 6-0, so. (6.5 ppg, 3.7 rpg); Kyle Felton, c, 6-3, jr. (2.6 ppg, 2.2 rpg)

Television – C-USA TV (online stream)

Radio ESPN 102.7 FM or 1450 AM

Coaches Michelle Clark-Heard (151-45 sixth year; 175-77 overall), Western Kentucky; Joye Lee-McNelis (229-208 14th year; 458-364 overall) Southern Miss.

Series Record Western Kentucky leads 6-2 (WKU won the last meeting 80-61 at E.A. Diddle Arena on Jan. 6).

Last time out Western Kentucky won 83-61 over Charlotte on Friday; Southern Miss defeated UTEP 60-53 on Sunday.{&end}