If the regular season is an entrance exam for postseason success, then the Lady Toppers werent passing with flying colors in the first three months. That could be changing. Westerns 73-69 overtime win against Florida International was more than the teams second straight overtime victory. According to coach Mary Taylor Cowles, it was a chance to see how her team would handle the pressure of postseason play in March. Right now we are getting close to March Madness, Cowles said. When those days get here, this is exactly what well have to do. Well have to be able to put 40 minutes together on back-to-back-to-back days and well have to be consistent with it. The effort will have to be there. Cowles said she was pleased with what she saw Monday. Even though there have been three days since Thursday and tonight, we basically had to turn around and put forth some extra effort going 50 minutes and 45 minutes, she said. I felt like the young ladies responded tremendously well to the challenge. The most encouraging aspect of Mondays win was the play of Westerns upperclassmen, particularly seniors Leslie Logsdon and Elisha Ford. Logsdon had nine of her 20 points in overtime. She started 1-for-6 from the field, but went 7-for-9 in the second half and overtime. Logsdon, normally an outside threat, was able to generate points inside Monday, giving Western a much-needed offensive boost. I know that every team that we play is going to guard me tight because of my 3-point-shooting ability, Logsdon said. I have to do other things to create for my teammates and myself. If they overplay me, then Im just going to take it to the basket. Ford, considered a defensive specialist, provided an offensive spark with 12 points in 37 minutes. Fords biggest basket came in overtime, when she drained a 3 over FIUs Milena Tomova with Western clinging to a 1-point lead. You are seeing what Elisha Ford is made of and why she is our senior captain, Cowles said. Elisha is not afraid of anything on the basketball court. With the two hard-fought victories in the last two games, Ford said she thinks this could be the turning point in the Lady Topper season. I definitely think this is going to get our momentum back, Ford said. I feel like these two games are really going to send us ahead and make us stronger for these games coming up. Free fallingWhile Western was able to put away the Golden Panthers down the stretch, the Lady Toppers missed several opportunities to end it sooner with a poor performance from the free-throw line in the second half. The Lady Toppers went 11-for-13 from the charity stripe in the first half, but were 8-for-18 in the second half and overtime. We got a little tired, but free throws are mental, Ford said. We work on them all the time in practice and know that is what can win or lose the game. We did miss some free throws, but I think at critical points we hit some big free throws. Cowles said it was a concern, but she wouldnt dwell on it. We always talk about shooting 70 percent or more and taking advantage of those give-me points, she said. But with the win Im not going to sit around and harp on the fact that we missed some free throws in the second half. Dont get me wrong though, well spend some time in practice before Thursday nights game. No showFlorida International waited in a corridor until the pregame ceremonies, including an introduction of Lady Toppers, were complete. It was dark in there, Florida International associate head coach Inge Nissen said. It was noisy. We do that at times. I can appreciate you guys have a nice show for your players, but you cant communicate with your players. We were able to communicate with them in the hallway. Western Kentucky players said they didnt notice FIUs absence during introductions.