Western Kentucky women’s basketball coach Greg Collins knows anybody in Conference USA can beat anybody on any given night, especially when that team is at home.

That’s why he and the Lady Toppers are not overlooking a Louisiana Tech team near the bottom of the C-USA standings when WKU makes the trip to Ruston, La., for a 6:30 p.m. contest at Thomas Assembly Center on Thursday.

“I know they’re like FIU and FAU – they’re a lot better than their conference record indicates,” Collins said prior to Tuesday’s practice at E.A. Diddle Arena. “I know they’re 2-2 at home and they have two big wins – one against Middle Tennessee by 18 and then they beat UTEP – two of the best teams in our conference. They’re a different team at home than they are on the road, so we’ll have to bring our best effort.”

WKU (14-6 overall, 6-3 C-USA) beat both Florida Atlantic and Florida International last week in Bowling Green and has now won four straight games and six of the last seven. The Lady Toppers are a perfect 8-0 at home, but just 5-6 in true road games, which included an 0-3 start in C-USA games played on the road. WKU did beat Charlotte and Marshall in its last two away games, and now the Lady Toppers once again hit the road to face Louisiana Tech (10-10, 2-7). The Lady Techsters have had success at Thomas Assembly Center this season and are 9-3 on their home court.

Despite shooting woes since the start of C-USA play, WKU still holds the second-best scoring average in the league at 71.3 points per game, while Louisiana Tech is sixth at 67.3 and 11th in points allowed at 66.7 per game. The Lady Toppers have shot just 21.8 percent from 3-point range in nine conference games, but took a step forward by going a combined 4-for-9 in the second and third quarters their last time out against FIU.

Defense and rebounding has been a key during WKU’s current stretch. The Lady Tops have held all but Marshall under 60 points in the last four games and have outrebounded teams during that stretch 170-111. Raneem Elgedawy, who averages a team-high 17.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game, grabbed 32 rebounds in the two wins last week on the way to C-USA Player of the Week honors, but Collins credits the team’s boxing out for the success.

Louisiana Tech has just two players averaging double-figure scoring with Keiunna Walker (12.4 points per game) and Amber Dixon (11.4), but the Lady Techsters have five others averaging at least five points per game. Louisiana Tech is third in C-USA in 3-point percentage, connecting on 32 percent of the 353 3-pointers it has attempted. The Lady Techsters have the third-worst rebounding differential in the conference at minus 1.8 and WKU has the fourth-best at plus 4.4.

“They’re fast and they’ve got a bunch of kids that like to shoot the 3-point shot,” Collins said. “That’s a challenge for us to get out on their 3-point shot, but that also presents a problem rebounding because you get a lot longer rebounds when you shoot the 3. We’ve got a couple of things that we’ve got pay close attention to.”

The Lady Toppers will be without their “ball hawk” on defense. Sherry Porter, who had started 18 of the team’s 20 games, suffered an MCL injury in the third quarter of Saturday’s win over FIU after recording nine points, three assists and three steals. Porter will be out for at least the team’s next two games and Collins said her situation will be taken week-by-week.

WKU will follow Thursday’s game with a Saturday contest at Southern Miss (11-9, 3-6). The Lady Tops, who are one of five teams in C-USA with fewer than four losses in league play, then return home for five of the final seven regular-season games.

“Everybody in this conference can beat everybody and everybody is better at home, so we’ve got to bring our best effort both in Ruston and in Hattiesburg,” Collins said.

WESTERN KENTUCKY (14-6, 6-3) AT LOUISIANA TECH (10-10, 2-7)

6:30 p.m., Thursday, Ruston, La.

Probable starters

WESTERN KENTUCKY

Dee Givens, f, 6-1, r-sr. (16.5 ppg, 6.0 rpg); Raneem Elgedawy, f, 6-4, jr. (17.5 ppg, 10.5 rpg); Meral Abdelgawad, g, 5-11, so. (7.1 ppg, 3.3 rpg); Whitney Creech, g, 5-8, sr. (14.1 ppg, 4.4 apg); Alexis Brewer, g, 5-9, r-sr (3.2 ppg, 2.0 rpg).

LOUISIANA TECH

Meme Amand, f, 6-3, jr. (6.4 ppg, 5.1 rpg); Keiunna Walker, g, 5-6, so. (12.4 ppg, 3.4 rpg); Amber Dixon, g, 5-10, jr. (11.4 ppg, 3.0 rpg); Grayson Bright, g, 5-11, sr. (7.3 ppg, 4.5 rpg); Lotte Sant, g, 6-1, fr. (5.6 ppg, 2.4 rpg).

Television

C-USA TV

Radio

ESPN 102.7 FM and 1450 AM in BG

Coaches

Greg Collins (34-21 second season; 34-21 overall), WKU; Brooke Stoehr/Scott Stoehr (61-52 fourth season; 132-110 overall), Louisiana Tech.

Series record

Louisiana Tech leads the series 26-20 (WKU won the last meeting 81-76 on Jan 26, 2018, at E.A. Diddle Arena).

Last time out

WKU won 71-51 at home against FIU on Saturday; Louisiana Tech lost 77-61 at Old Dominion on Saturday.{&end}