That any one of 10 players can swipe a steal that transforms into transition buckets or hit a momentum-shifting 3-pointer shows that although Heard was going to defend a Conference USA title with young talent, Western Kentucky (11-4 overall, 2-0 Conference USA) is still the team that title goes through.
Case in point: In WKU’s 81-60 win over Southern Mississippi on Saturday at E.A. Diddle Arena – a rematch of last year’s C-USA tournament championship game – freshman guard Terri Smith hit a tying triple that came in the second quarter when WKU needed it most. It came just after Tashia Brown ended an eight-and-a-half minute scoreless drought, then sparked a 9-2 run to end the first half.