Western Kentucky guard Whitney Creech (left) is congratulated by Lady Toppers coach Michelle Clark-Heard after scoring six consecutive points Friday during WKU’s 77-61 win over North Texas in the Conference USA tournament semifinals at The Star in Frisco, Texas. For more photos, visit bgdailynews.com.

Four visits in the last five seasons is enough for Western Kentucky to validate its presence in the women’s NCAA Tournament.

Now it’s about finally capitalizing beyond the first round.

“I think we belong in the tournament,” WKU sophomore guard Whitney Creech said. “We’ve been here before and beat Missouri, who was ranked. I think we belong here to compete.”

WKU (24-8) is riding a high tide after three straight wins by double digits to claim another Conference USA tournament title. The Lady Toppers need that momentum and experience from a brutal November nonconference schedule to take down one of the nation’s top shooting teams.

WKU will try to erase a winless streak in the tournament stretching 18 years when it tips off against No. 6 seed Oregon State (23-7) on Friday morning at 11 a.m. CDT at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tenn. Should the 11th-seeded Lady Toppers pull off the upset, they would play Sunday against the winner of No. 3 seed/host Tennessee-No. 14 seed Liberty.

WKU is 0-3 in the tournament under coach Michelle Clark-Heard but has proven it belongs by staying right there with some of the nation’s elite teams. As a No. 15 seed in 2014, WKU went to the home floor of second-seeded Baylor and fought tough before falling by 13 points. The next year, WKU’s Alexis Govan’s potential game-winning shot missed at the buzzer in a 66-64 loss to Texas.

Last season, No. 5 seed Ohio State outmatched the 12th-seeded Lady Toppers in Lexington to win by seven points.

“Last year I learned we can be competitive,” Creech said. “It was a close game last year and the ballgame just didn’t go our way. I think it shows we can be competitive and we can pull out a win.”

WKU enters Friday with its highest tournament seed since drawing a No. 10 seed in 2008, thanks mainly to a tough nonconference schedule in November.

The Lady Toppers started the year 1-3 against four Power 5 teams in Missouri, Iowa, Notre Dame and Indiana. WKU knocked off a ranked Missouri team in the season opener and lost in overtime to Iowa on its home court.

Then WKU opened the home schedule against then No. 6 Notre Dame and lost 78-65 on Nov. 14. A few days later, the Lady Toppers held a lead in Bloomington, Ind., before falling by two points to Indiana.

WKU’s next win came against a Mercer team that finished the season 30-2 to win the Southern Conference and hasn’t lost since playing the Lady Toppers in Atlanta on Nov. 24.

“(Those games) were in November, but those kids never forget that moment,” Heard said. “They’ll never forget beating Missouri the first game or being in that situation where they have Iowa up and going into overtime on their own court. We don’t forget those teams because they’re great teams in Power 5 conferences.”

Heard believes that early schedule helped earn WKU some credibility with the selection committee for the higher seed. But Oregon State might be better than a No. 6 seed.

The Beavers ranked No. 13 in the final Associated Press poll and won seven straight to close the regular season before falling to Arizona State in the Pac 12 Tournament quarterfinals.

Oregon State boasts the nation’s best 3-point shooting percentage (.406) and the sixth-highest field goal percentage (.487). The Beavers have two players with over 100 assists between Mikayla Pivec (145) and Katie McWilliams (114) and rank sixth in the nation in assists per game (19.3).

Marie Gulich is a 6-foot-5 center who holds everything together in the paint. The team’s only senior averages 17.1 points, 8.9 rebounds and three blocks per game.

As a team, the Beavers average 8.5 3-pointers per contest.

“It’s going to be a big challenge,” Heard said. “They have a big-time post on the inside and she’s really good. She can score and face up. So you have that inside-out game, that’s where you become really good. They’re young, but they’re very experienced and play in one of the best conferences in the country.”

NOTES

WKU will be making its 20th appearance in the NCAA Tournament. … The Lady Toppers hold a 17-19 all-time record in the NCAA Tournament and will be seeking their first win since a 68-65 victory over Marquette in the first round in 2000. … The Lady Toppers are 7-0 in neutral site games this season. … C-USA Player of the Year Tashia Brown has scored 725 points this season and has 2,056 for her career, good for third on WKU’s career list. … Ivy Brown’s 317 rebounds this season currently rank sixth on WKU’s single-season chart. … Brown (1,494 points) is 14th on WKU’s all-time scoring list and needs six more points to become the 13th player in school history to score 1,500 points.

11 seed Western Kentucky (24-8) vs. 6 seed Oregon State (23-7)

11 a.m. CDT, Friday, Knoxville, Tenn.

Probable starters

Western Kentucky – Tashia Brown, f, 6-1, sr. (22.7 ppg, 5.4 rpg); Whitney Creech, g, 5-8, so. (7.1 ppg, 2.8 rpg); Ivy Brown, f, 6-1, sr. (17.0 ppg, 9.9 rpg); Sherry Porter, g, 5-7, fr. (3.4 ppg, 1.98 rpg); Raneem Elgedawy, f, 6-4, fr. (9.1 ppg, 7.2 rpg)

Oregon State – Marie Gulich, c, 6-5, sr. (17.1 ppg, 8.9 rpg); Kat Tudor, g, 6-0, so. (11.7 ppg, 4.5 rpg); Mikayla Pivec, g, 5-10, so. (11.1 ppg, 7.3 rpg); Katie McWilliams, g, 6-2, jr. (8.1 ppg, 4.1 rpg); Taya Corosdale, f, 6-3, fr. (6.7 ppg, 3.9 rpg)

TV – ESPN2

Radio ESPN 102.7 FM or 1450 AM

Coaches Michelle Clark-Heard (154-47 sixth year; 178-79 overall), Western Kentucky; Scott Rueck (176-88 eighth year, 464-176 overall) Oregon State.

Series Record WKU leads 1-0 (WKU won last meeting 85-78 on March 19, 1995, in the NCAA Tournament).

Last time out Western Kentucky won 72-57 over UAB in the Conference USA Tournament championship game; Oregon State lost to Arizona State 57-51 in the Pac 12 Tournament.{&end}