Hilltoppers Begin Road Swing at Missouri State on Wednesday

WKU Game Notes | Missouri State Game Notes

THE TIP-OFF

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — WKU Hilltopper Basketball heads back on the road for a two-game swing, starting at Missouri State at 7 p.m. CT Wednesday in Springfield, Mo. The game will air on the subscription service ESPN+.

The Hilltoppers most recently beat Tennessee State 88-74 at home on Saturday at E.A. Diddle Arena.

Missouri State has lost five straight, including a 101-77 loss against Oregon State on Saturday. The Bears beat WKU 85-80 in last year's Hilltopper season opener in the programs' only previous meeting. WKU head coach Rick Stansbury is 0-1 in his career against Missouri State.

GAME 8

WKU (4-3) at Missouri State (3-5)
December 5, 2018 | 7 p.m. CT
JQH Arena (11,000) | Springfield, Mo.

BROADCAST

Listen: Hilltopper IMG Sports Network (WKLX 100.7 FM flagship), WKUSports.tv (free), TuneIn Radio (Randy Lee, pxp | Hal Schmitt, analysis)
Watch: ESPN+ ($, subscription service) (Don West, pxp | Kelby Stuckey, analysis)
Live Stats: Missouri State Stats

QUICK SHOTS

• This two-game road swing completes a stretch of 7 of 9 games away from Diddle Arena to start the season for WKU. The Hilltoppers play just two home games before Dec. 16. WKU will have traveled nearly 8,000 miles by the time this nine-game opening stretch ends.
• The Hilltoppers have made a 3-pointer in 983 straight games dating back to March 15, 1987. WKU entered the season tied with Arkansas for the fourth-longest streak in the nation of consecutive games with a made 3. Only UNLV (1,039), Vanderbilt (1,031) and Duke (1,021) had longer streaks to start the year.
• WKU ranks 17th in the country in blocked shots per game, and 12th in percentage of opponents' shots blocked, according to Ken Pomeroy. Its average of 5.6 blocks per game would be its highest on record since programs began tracking the statistic. Charles Bassey leads C-USA in blocked shots per game (2.4).
• The Hilltoppers rank 17th in the country in free-throw rate, according to Ken Pomeroy. They've shot 31 more free throws than their opponents this year, a calling card of the program.
• WKU is 40-1 under head coach Rick Stansbury when leading with five minutes to play.
• Sophomore Taveion Hollingsworth has scored at least 10 points in 32 of his 45 career games. He's scored at least 20 points in 10 of those outings, including a 23-point showing against Valparaiso on Nov. 15.
• As of Monday, Charles Bassey ranked third in the country among freshmen for rebounds per game (9.6). He leads Conference USA in total (9.6), offensive (3.3) and defensive (6.3) rebounds per game.
• Charles Bassey has hit a 3-pointer in each of the last three games and is 3 of 4 from long range overall.
• As of Monday, Charles Bassey ranked in the top 50 in the country in double-doubles (38th), blocks per game (26th), total blocks (36th), offensive rebounds per game (41st) and total rebounds per game (35th).
• Not only is Charles Bassey the highest-rated recruit to play for WKU in several decades, he's also one of the top-five youngest players in college basketball this season.

LAST GAME AGAINST MISSOURI STATE: NOVEMBER 10, 2017

WKU mounted a furious comeback after falling into an early 22-point hole, but ultimately couldn't get over the hump in an 85-80 loss to Missouri State in the season opener at E.A. Diddle Arena. Lamonte Bearden led WKU with 24 points in his first outing as a WKU player, while senior guard Darius Thompson added 19 points.

MED CENTER HEALTH

The 2018-19 WKU Basketball season is presented by Med Center Health. With The Medical Center at its core, Med Center Health has served Southcentral Kentucky for more than 90 years, and its system of care includes six acute care hospitals, a complete network of immediate to emergency services and services in dozens of specialties. Whether it is emergency treatment for heart attack victims or preventative programs to improve the health of the communities it serves, Med Center Health is committed to providing the highest level of care and service.

How to follow the Hilltoppers: For complete information on WKU Hilltopper Basketball, follow the team's social media channels, @WKUBasketball on Twitter, @WKUBasketball on Instagram, and WKU Basketball on Facebook.

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Players Mentioned

Charles Bassey

Lamonte Bearden

Taveion Hollingsworth

Darius Thompson