The Lady Tops reached one of their season-long goals in securing 20 wins, but Alysha Clark ensured Western wouldn’t go much further than that.

The Lady Toppers (21-9, 15-4 Sun Belt) granted Cowles’ wish on Sunday, coming from 11 points down in the first half to knock off South Alabama and advance to the tournament’s semifinal round.

The Lady Toppers have experienced the highs and the lows of the Sun Belt tournament.
Two years ago brought a title, while last season ended with a loss to Louisiana-Monroe in a first-round game in Diddle Arena — before the Lady Toppers could even make it to Hot Springs, Ark.
But Western (20-9, 14-4 Sun Belt Conference) [...]

Dec. 22 wasn’t the best day for senior guard Kenzie Rich.
The Lady Toppers (20-9, 14-4 Sun Belt Conference) had just fallen to 5-6 with a 76-60 home loss to Pittsburgh.
Rich was averaging a career-low 5.7 points and shooting 25.3 percent from the field, and she had been held out of the starting lineup for the [...]