Hilltoppers Begin C-USA Play on Road Thursday at Charlotte

WKU Game Notes | Charlotte Game Notes

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — WKU Hilltopper Basketball begins Conference USA play on the road against Charlotte at 6:30 p.m. CT Thursday in Charlotte, N.C. The game will air on beIN SPORTS.

This season will be the first time that WKU has opened conference play with three straight road games – at Charlotte, at Old Dominion, at Marshall – since 2002-03, when the Hilltoppers began Sun Belt action at Middle Tennessee, Little Rock and Arkansas State.

The Hilltoppers concluded non-conference play with an 83-76 home upset of No. 15/16 Wisconsin on Saturday, the highest-ranked team they've beaten at home since 1973.

Charlotte finished non-conference action with a 68-53 loss to Colorado in Honolulu, Hawaii. WKU is 19-10 all-time against the 49ers, including a 6-8 mark on the road. Hilltopper head coach Rick Stansbury is 5-2 in his career against Charlotte.

GAME 14

WKU (7-6, 0-0 C-USA) at Charlotte (3-8, 0-0 C-USA)
January 3, 2019 | 6:30 p.m. CT
Halton Arena | Charlotte, N.C.

BROADCAST

Listen: Hilltopper IMG Sports Network (WKLX 100.7 FM flagship), WKUSports.tv (free), TuneIn Radio (Randy Lee, pxp | Hal Schmitt, analysis)
Watch: beIN SPORTS (Phil Schoen, pxp | Megan Perry, analysis)
Live Stats: Charlotte Stats

QUICK SHOTS

• The Hilltoppers have won nine of their last 11 conference openers, including two straight.
• WKU finished non-conference play with the 19th-best strength of schedule in the nation, according to the Sagarin Ratings, and the 33rd-best non-conference slate per Ken Pomeroy.
• The Hilltoppers have made a 3-pointer in 989 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 is 43-1 when leading with five minutes to play under head coach Rick Stansbury.
• WKU freshman center Charles Bassey has more blocks himself (33) this year than 73 Division I teams.
• WKU ranks 16th in the country in total blocks and 18th in the country in blocked shots per game, and 22nd in percentage of opponents' shots blocked, according to Ken Pomeroy. Its average of 5.5 blocks per game would be its highest on record. Charles Bassey leads C-USA in blocks per game (2.5).
• The Hilltoppers have shot 83 more free throws than their opponents this year and made four more free throws than their opponents have even attempted, a calling card of the program.
• Sophomore Taveion Hollingsworth has scored at least 10 points in 37 of his 51 career games. He's scored at least 20 points in 12 of those outings, including a 22-point effort against Wisconsin on Dec. 29.
• After scoring 15-plus points just once in the Hilltoppers' first 10 games of the season, sophomore guard Josh Anderson has scored at least 15 points in three straight games for WKU.
• As of Tuesday, Charles Bassey was ranked fifth nationally among freshmen for rebounds per game (9.1) and tied for second in total blocks (33). He ranks second in C-USA in total rebounds per game (9.1).
• As of Tuesday, Charles Bassey ranked in the top 50 in the country in double-doubles (40th), field-goal percentage (23rd), blocks per game (13th), total blocks (13th), total rebounds per game (47th) and total rebounds (50th).

LAST GAME AGAINST CHARLOTTE: FEBRUARY 22, 2018

WKU shot better than 55 percent for the fourth straight game, rolling past Charlotte 93-55 at E.A. Diddle Arena. The Hilltoppers put six players in double figures, including a career-high 19 points from Josh Anderson.

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

Josh Anderson

Charles Bassey

Taveion Hollingsworth