Nov. 25, 2000
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - Chris Marcus hauled down a career-high 21 rebounds, blocked a school record nine shots and added 12 points to pace the Hilltoppers to a 90-66 victory over Tennessee State at home Saturday afternoon.
A 24-point Western run from the late stages of the first half into the opening minutes of the second period turned a 33-29 Tiger advantage into a 53-33 Topper lead with 15:24 left in the game. TSU got no closer that 14 (64-50) the rest of the way and WKU built its biggest lead of the game (24 points) at the final buzzer.
The victory improved Western to 3-0 on the season while Tennessee State fell to 1-3. WKU opens the season with three straight victories for the first time since the `87-88 Hilltoppers also got off to a 3-0 start.
Marcus' nine rejections broke a WKU school record (8) set by Pop Thornton against New Orleans in E.A. Diddle Arena on Feb. 13, 1995. And, his 21-rebound performance marked the first time in nearly 13 years that a Topper has recorded a 20-rebound game. The last Western athlete to reach that total was Anthony Smith, who was credited with 21 versus Alabama State, also in Diddle Arena, on Dec. 19, 1987. And, he narrowly missed becoming the first Hilltopper on record to register a triple-double.
David Boyden and Tremain Rowles each tallied 16 for Western (Boyden's total was a career-high) while Derek Robinson (12), Raynardo Curry (11) and Nashon McPherson (11) also hit for double digits for the Toppers. It was the first time in Dennis Felton's three years at Western that the Hilltoppers have put six men in double figures in the scoring column.
Western dominated the game on the boards, amassing a season-high 56 rebounds compared to TSU's 39.
-- WKU --
