Jan. 18, 2003
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - Patrick Sparks had just missed a double-double in two of the last five Western Kentucky University men's basketball games prior to Saturday. This time he finished the job.
The sophomore guard had game highs of 23 points and 10 assists to lead the Hilltoppers to an 85-69 Sun Belt Conference victory over South Alabama at E.A. Diddle Arena.
Western won its season-high fourth consecutive contest, improving to 11-6 overall and 4-1 in the Sun Belt. The Jaguars fell to 8-8, 2-3 in the SBC.
It was his second double-double of the year and third of his career. He was 8-of-13 from the field, hitting a season-high-tying four three-pointers for the second straight game, while also adding six rebounds, three steals and a blocked shot. It was the first time a Topper posted 20 points since Nate Williams tallied 20 in a win over Illinois State Dec. 15, and Sparks' first 20-point effort since leading Western with 24 in its home-opening victory over Virginia Commonwealth on Nov. 26.
Mike Wells chipped in with 15 points, David Boyden had 13 and Nate Williams 10. The Hilltoppers shot a season-best 62.5 percent from the floor, including hitting 9-of-18 three-point attempts, and had 18 assists compared to just 11 turnovers.
"This is a terrific win for us," WKU head coach Dennis Felton said. "We shot the ball extremely well because we played strong defense and rebounded well early to get some easy baskets. Once again Patrick was in control of the game."
"I thought Western was outstanding tonight," said USA head coach John Pelphrey. "Their players played much better than our players. Their coaches coached much better than we coached.
"As far as I am concerned Western Kentucky is the best team in the Sun Belt Conference."
Demetrice Williams gave the Jaguars a 3-0 lead at 19:32, but Williams and Wells hit consecutive baskets as the Toppers took a 5-3 lead with 18:04 to go - Western would never trail again. A Sparks three-pointer with 13:41 left extended the WKU lead to 16-9, however USA responded and whittled its deficit down to two points when Malerick Bedden converted a layup at 10:35 to make the score 18-16.
The Toppers controlled play the rest of the way beginning with Sparks' layup 10 seconds later starting a 9-0 WKU run, with Western taking its first double-digit lead at 8:03 when Anthony Winchester ended the spurt with a short jump shot. Bedden hit a jumper and added a free throw to cut the Hilltoppers' lead to 27-19, but Jamaal Brown's basket with 6:23 to go put WKU ahead by double figures the rest of the way. After trading scores, the Toppers ended the half on a 13-4 run over the last five minutes to hold a 47-25 advantage at the break.
Nine Western players scored at least two points in the second half as the Jaguars cut the lead to 16 on three occasions, but never seriously threatened. WKU had a 25-point advantage - its largest of the contest - four times in the half, the last with 14:26 remaining after a Sparks layup.
Bedden had 19 points to lead three USA players in double figures, with Williams collecting 17 points and Marques Ivy 10. Henry Williams posted nine points and a game-high 10 rebounds, helping the Jaguars hold a 30-28 edge on the glass. USA shot 47.5 percent from the field, but converted only 35.3 percent from behind the three-point arc and made just 5-of-9 free-throw attempts.
WKU now owns a 29-game home winning streak, third-longest in the nation, and has defeated 21 consecutive league opponents at Diddle Arena, the second-longest streak in SBC history.
USA still leads the all-time series, 25-19, but the Hilltoppers hold a 10-9 advantage at home.
Western has the week off before its next game, an 8 p.m. (CST) tip-off at New Mexico State on Saturday, Jan. 25, in Las Cruces.
- WKU -
