Feb 16, 2002
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (AP) - Todor Pandov scored 20 points Saturday night to lead Western Kentucky to a 100-76 win over North Texas, its 13th win in a row.
Reserve guards Mike Wells and Tremain Rowles scored 14 points each, David Boyden scored 11 and Raynardo Curry added 10 for the Hilltoppers (22-3, 12-1 Sun Belt), who have won 21 consecutive games at Diddle Arena.
Chris Davis scored 27 points for North Texas.
The Hilltoppers mounted a 19-0 run over a five-minute span late in the first half to turn a two-point lead into a 48-27 advantage with 1:53 left before halftime. Wells scored nine for WKU in that run, including a string of seven straigh points for the Toppers.
The lead reached 34 in the second half, as the Mean Green (13-12, 7-6) never challenged.
Western Kentucky went 37 of 72 from the floor (51 percent), including 12 of 26 (46 percent) from 3-point range.
The Hilltoppers' 13-game winning streak matches Western's longest since the '94-95 season and will be either the longest or second longest in the nation, pending the outcome of tonight's Gonzaga-Pepperdine game. Pepperdine entered that contest with 13 wins in a row.
WKU Sports Information Notes:
The third of Derek Robinson's five assists on the night was his 100th of the season, making him the first Hilltopper ever to record three 100-assist seasons.
Mike Wells' game-high six assists was a career-high for the junior guard.
WKU's nine turnovers in the game equalled the Hilltoppers' season low -- nine at Denver and at home versus Creighton.
Western, with the nation's fourth longest current home game winning streak, has now won its last 21 straight games in E.A. Diddle Arena.
The Hilltoppers have hit 10-or-more three-pointers in 16 of their last 32 games.
Tremain Rowles enjoyed his best outing of the year, nailing three treys and totaling 14 points, His previous high this season was six points.
Todor Pandov recorded the second 20-point game of his career. He scored a career-high 23 in the Toppers' 77-75 win at Austin Peay on Jan. 5.
