Western Kentucky women edge No. 16 Louisville 71-69

Nov 21, 2015, 06:22 pm

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. -- Kayla Smith sank the go-ahead basket with 34 seconds left and Kendall Noble cemented the win at the free throw line to lift Western Kentucky to a 71-69 win over No. 16 Louisville on Saturday.

In a close game, Western Kentucky (1-1) trailed by a point with 43 seconds to go when Smith got the layup to make it 69-68. The Lady Toppers then forced a turnover and got fouled, sending Noble to the free throw line, where she sank both shots. Louisville's Taja Cole hit a free throw to narrow the losing gap.

Noble finished with 22 points, hitting all eight of her free throw attempts, and Tashia Brown added 16 points for Western Kentucky, which has won four straight home openers.

Louisville (0-2) was led by Briahanna Jackson's 24 points and Mariya Moore's 13. Cortnee Walton grabbed 13 rebounds and Myisha Hines-Allen had 11.