HATTIESBURG, Miss. - C-USA Player of the Year candidate Kendall Noble scored the final seven points of the night for WKU, part of her game-high 20 points, as the Lady Toppers held off a fourth-quarter rally by Southern Miss in a 54-53 victory inside Reed Green Coliseum on Thursday.
WKU (23-5, 14-3 C-USA) led by as many as 17 points in the first quarter, but the Golden Eagles (14-14, 7-10 C-USA) were able to mount a comeback attempt in the third quarter to take their first lead since the beginning of the game. The Lady Toppers fended off the rally with timely defensive stops late in the fourth quarter coupled with Noble's play in the final two minutes.