Dec. 16, 2000
Bowling Green, Ky. - Western Kentucky made the 500th game in E.A. Diddle Arena a memorable one, maintaining control of the contest for the bulk of 40 minutes en route to posting a 73-58 victory over Akron.
The Zips put the first points on the board, but the Hilltoppers responded quickly, scoring the next 11 points in the game to take the early 11-2 advantage when Nashon McPherson slammed home a dunk on an alley-oop pass from Derek Robinson at 13:28. WKU led by 17 (34-17 and 35-18) late in the period before going in at the intermission with a 37-26 edge.
A string of seven straight points by Derek Robinson in the early minutes of the second half staked the Toppers to a 46-30 advantage 17:40 to play. From that point on, it was an 11-17-point contest the rest of the way. The closest the Zips could get was 11 (50-39 at 15:02) and the Hilltoppers led by 17 on three occasions in the final four-plus minutes.
Robinson paced WKU with a season-high 19 points (just two shy of his career high). He also accounted for seven rebounds and game-high numbers in both the assists (five) and steals (seven) columns. That steals figure was a career-high for the junior from Paris, Ky. David Boyden was the only other Topper in double figures (10 points). And, Boyden and Chris Marcus tied for game-high honors on the boards with nine each, leading the Hilltoppers to a big 42-33 edge in rebounding. Nashon McPherson added nine points and rookie Mike Wells contributed with a personal best eight tallies.
Andy Hipsher was the only Zip in double figures, notching 28 counters, a season-high for a Topper opponent this season.
The Hilltopper defense forced the Zips into 25 turnovers (the most by a WKU opponent to date this year) and 37.8 shooting (17-45) from the floor. Akron managed to make good on just one of nine shots from three-point range (11.1%).
The victory made Western Kentucky just the seventh Division I school ever to amass 2,000 victories in basketball -- 1,399 for the Hilltoppers and 601 for the Lady Toppers.
WKU will be gunning for a milestone 1,400th men's basketball win when the Toppers host Savannah State in Diddle Arena Monday (Dec. 18, 7 p.m. CST tip-off).
-- WKU --
