1985–86 Western Kentucky Lady Toppers basketball team
The 1985–86 WKU Lady Toppers basketball team represents Western Kentucky University during the 1985–86 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Lady Toppers were led by head coach Paul Sanderford and Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year Lillie Mason.[1] They won the SBC season and tournament championships and received a bid to the 1986 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament where they advanced to the Final Four.[2] This team set a school record for wins and had three players named to All-American teams, Mason, Clemette Haskins, and Kami Thomas. Thomas and Haskins joined Mason on the All-Conference team; Mason was the SBC Tournament Most Outstanding Player (MOP) and Haskins made the All-Tournament team. Haskins was selected to the NCAA Final Four team and Mason was NCAA East Region MOP with Thomas joining her on the All-Region team.[3]
1985–86 WKU Lady Toppers basketball | |
---|---|
NCAA East Regional Champion SBC Tournament Champion Sun Belt Conference Champion Communiplex Classic Champion Bud Light Shootout Champion | |
NCAA Tournament, Final Four | |
Conference | Sun Belt Conference |
Ranking | |
Coaches | No. 3 |
AP | No. 5 |
Record | 32–4 (6–0 SBC) |
Head coach |
|
Home arena | E. A. Diddle Arena |
Schedule
Date time, TV |
Rank# | Opponent# | Result | Record | Site city, state | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Regular Season | |||||||||||
11/22/1985* |
No. 6 | at No. 20USAToday Texas Tech | W 88–71 | 1–0 |
Lubbock Municipal Coliseum Lubbock, TX | ||||||
11/25/1985* |
No. 6 | South Alabama Bowling Green Bank Invitational |
W 86–55 | 2–0 |
E. A. Diddle Arena Bowling Green, KY | ||||||
11/26/1985* |
No. 6 | No. 23* Oklahoma Bowling Green Bank Invitational |
L 81–89 | 2–1 |
E. A. Diddle Arena Bowling Green, KY | ||||||
12/2/1985* |
No. 9 | No. 15 Iowa | W 77–67 | 3–1 |
E. A. Diddle Arena Bowling Green, KY | ||||||
12/6/1985* |
No. 8 | at Southern Illinois | W 92–60 | 4–1 |
Banterra Center Carbondale, IL | ||||||
12/9/1985* |
No. 9 | Middle Tennessee | W 103–78 | 5–1 |
E. A. Diddle Arena Bowling Green, KY | ||||||
12/14/1985* |
No. 9 | at Morehead State | W 85–66 | 6–1 |
Ellis Johnson Arena Morehead, KY | ||||||
12/21/1985* |
No. 9 | at Evansville | W 96–66 | 7–1 |
Roberts Municipal Stadium Evansville, IN | ||||||
12/28/1985* |
No. 9 | vs. Xavier Communiplex Classic |
W 122–43 | 8–1 |
Riverfront Coliseum Cincinnati, OH | ||||||
12/29/1985* |
No. 9 | at Cincinnati Communiplex Classic |
W 87–43 | 9–1 |
Riverfront Coliseum Cincinnati, OH | ||||||
1/3/1986* |
No. 9 | vs. Kansas State Bud Light Shootout |
W 95–69 | 10–1 |
Thomas & Mack Center Las Vegas, NV | ||||||
1/4/1986* |
No. 9 | vs. California Bud Light Shootout |
W 81–59 | 11–1 |
Thomas & Mack Center Las Vegas, NV | ||||||
1/7/1986* |
No. 7 | West Virginia | W 95–49 | 12–1 |
E. A. Diddle Arena Bowling Green, KY | ||||||
1/10/1986* |
No. 7 | Dayton | W 104–75 | 13–1 |
E. A. Diddle Arena Bowling Green, KY | ||||||
1/12/1986 |
No. 6 | South Florida | W 94–48 | 14–1 (1-0) |
E. A. Diddle Arena Bowling Green, KY | ||||||
1/14/1986 |
No. 6 | Memphis State | W 95–71 | 15–1 |
E. A. Diddle Arena Bowling Green, KY | ||||||
1/16/1986* |
No. 6 | at Louisville | W 98–55 | 16–1 |
Freedom Hall Louisville, KY | ||||||
1/22/1986 |
No. 6 | UNC Charlotte | W 85–51 | 17–1 (2-0) |
E. A. Diddle Arena Bowling Green, KY | ||||||
1/27/1986* |
No. 6 | Alabama–Huntsville | W 108–55 | 18–1 |
E. A. Diddle Arena Bowling Green, KY | ||||||
1/30/1986* |
No. 6 | Tennessee Tech | W 83–79 | 19–1 |
Eblen Center Cookeville, TN | ||||||
2/4/1986* |
No. 5 | Murray State | W 93–69 | 20–1 |
E. A. Diddle Arena Bowling Green, KY | ||||||
2/7/1986* |
No. 5 | Cheyney State | W 101–52 | 21–1 |
E. A. Diddle Arena Bowling Green, KY | ||||||
2/10/1986* |
No. 4 | at No. 2 Georgia | L 61–93 | 21–2 |
Stegeman Coliseum Athens, GA | ||||||
2/15/1986 |
No. 4 | at UAB | W 83–63 | 22–2 (3-0) |
Birmingham–Jefferson Convention Complex Birmingham, AL | ||||||
2/17/1986 |
No. 6 | at South Alabama | W 72–66 | 23–2 (4-0) |
Jag Gym Mobile, AL | ||||||
2/23/1986 |
No. 5 | ODU | W 74–64 | 24–2 (5-0) |
E. A. Diddle Arena Bowling Green, KY | ||||||
2/24/1986 |
No. 5 | VCU | W 101–51 | 25–2 (6-0) |
E. A. Diddle Arena Bowling Green, KY | ||||||
2/28/1986* |
No. 5 | at Alaska Anchorage Northern Lights Invitational |
W 98–78 | 26–2 |
Anchorage, AK | ||||||
3/1/1986* |
No. 5 | vs. No. 16* Louisiana–Monroe Northern Lights Invitational |
L 84–88 | 26–3 |
Anchorage, AK | ||||||
3/2/1986* |
No. 5 | vs. SMU Northern Lights Invitational |
W 76–66 | 27–3 |
Anchorage, AK | ||||||
1986 Sun Belt Conference women's basketball tournament | |||||||||||
3/7/1986 |
No. 5 | UAB SBC Tournament Semifinal |
W 80–53 | 28–3 |
E. A. Diddle Arena Bowling Green, KY | ||||||
3/8/1986 |
No. 5 | ODU SBC Tournament Final |
W 69–61 | 29–3 |
E. A. Diddle Arena Bowling Green, KY | ||||||
1986 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament | |||||||||||
3/16/1986* |
No. 5 (E4) | No. 24* (E5) Saint Joseph's (PA) East Region Second Round |
W 74–65 | 30–3 |
E. A. Diddle Arena Bowling Green, KY | ||||||
3/20/1986* |
No. 5 (E4) | vs. No. 17 (E8) James Madison Sweet Sixteen |
W 72–51 | 31–3 |
Palestra Philadelphia, PA | ||||||
3/22/1986* |
No. 5 (E4) | vs. No. 10 (E2) Rutgers Elite Eight |
W 89–74 | 32–3 |
Palestra Philadelphia, PA | ||||||
3/28/1986* |
No. 5 (E4) | vs. No. 1 (MW1) Texas Final Four |
L 65–90 | 32–4 |
Rupp Arena Lexington, KY | ||||||
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll except * USA Today. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. |
References
- 2019-20 Sun Belt Conference Women’s Basketball Record Book, retrieved May 21, 2020
- Sanderford elected to Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame, By the Daily News May 6, 2015, retrieved May 21, 2020
- 2019-20 Lady Topper Basketball Media Guide, retrieved May 21, 2020
- Western Kentucky Sports Women's Basketball Archive, retrieved May 21, 2020