Tops Bring Three-Game Winning Streak into Wright State Matchup

Saturday, December 2

E.A. Diddle Arena

4 p.m.

Western Kentucky University

Wright State

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Photo by: Steve Roberts, WKU Athletics

Tops Bring Three-Game Winning Streak into Wright State Matchup

12/1/2017 12:15:00 PM | Men's Basketball

WKU Game Notes | Wright State Game Notes

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — WKU Hilltopper Basketball brings a three-game winning streak into its home matchup against Wright State at 4 p.m. CT Saturday at E.A. Diddle Arena.

The Hilltoppers have recorded three straight victories over Purdue, SMU and Eastern Kentucky, and they're off to their best start since the 2012-13 campaign. WKU's 32-point win over EKU was its largest margin of victory in the series since Jan. 14, 1967.

Wright State has won four straight games at home after starting the season 0-3.

This will be the first meeting between the two programs, and WKU head coach Rick Stansbury is 1-0 in his career against the Raiders.

GAME 8

Wright State (4-3) at WKU (5-2)
December 2, 2017 | 4 p.m. CT
Bowling Green, Ky. | E.A. Diddle Arena

BROADCAST

Listen: Hilltopper IMG Sports Network (WKLX 100.7 FM flagship), WKUSports.tv (free), TuneIn Radio (free) (Randy Lee, pxp | Hal Schmitt, analysis)
Watch: Fox College Sports, WKU PBS in Bowling Green, WBNA in Louisville (Radio Simulcast)
Live Stats: WKU Stats

QUICK SHOTS

• WKU is 14-4 (.778) at E.A. Diddle Arena under head coach Rick Stansbury. The Hilltoppers are 587-167 all-time at Diddle Arena for a .779 winning percentage.
• WKU has made at least one 3-pointer in 945 consecutive games, dating back to March 15, 1987. The 3-point shot was instituted prior to the 1986-87 season. The Hilltoppers' streak is the fifth-longest in the nation behind Kentucky, UNLV, Vanderbilt and Arkansas.
• The Hilltoppers registered 24 assists with just six turnovers against Eastern Kentucky on Nov. 29. Both WKU's +/- on assists vs. turnovers (+18) and assist-to-turnover ratio (4-to-1) in the game were the program's best since it began consistently tracking those stats nearly 50 years ago.
• Darius Thompson had nine assists and zero turnovers against EKU, making him the third Hilltopper in 30-plus years with a game of at least nine assists with no errors, and the first since 2011.
In his last four games, Darius Thompson has 20 combined assists with just three turnovers.
• WKU ranks 29th in the country in 3-point percentage at 41.9 percent. Jake Ohmer has made 15 of 30 shots from long range to start his career and is 11 of 15 from deep (73.3 percent) in his last four games.
• The Hilltoppers have made 104 of 153 free throws through seven games, while their opponents have made just 60 of 82.
• Six of WKU's seven scholarship players are averaging in double figures, between 10.7 and 13.4 points.
• WKU ranks 29th in the nation and first in C-USA in turnovers forced at 17.7 per game. Lamonte Bearden ranks 35th in the country and leads the conference in steals per game (2.4). Bearden has 17 steals through seven games after WKU had no player with more than 28 steals all last season.
• Dwight Coleby is tied for 13th nationally and leads C-USA with four double-doubles. He also ranks 40th nationally in field-goal percentage at 62.5 percent.
• As of Thursday, Justin Johnson ranked seventh among active NCAA players for career rebounds and 11th in career double-doubles. He's one of just nine active NCAA players with at least 1,000 career points and 750 rebounds.
• Justin Johnson is 31st on WKU's all-time scoring list with 1,196 career points. He needs 11 points to pass Owen Lawson and Michael Fraliex to move into 29th.
• Justin Johnson currently ranks ninth on WKU's all-time list for career field goal percentage at 54.2 percent. He's less than two percentage points from fifth place.
• Justin Johnson needs 241 rebounds to reach 1,000 for his career. That would make him just the fifth player in WKU history with 1,000 career points and 1,000 rebounds, joining Tom Marshall, Art Spoelstra, Ralph Crosthwaite and Jim McDaniels, the last to accomplish the feat in 1971.

PROMOTIONS

Faculty/Staff Appreciation Night: All WKU Faculty/Staff can receive up to two complimentary tickets with a valid WKU ID in advance
at the WKU Ticket Office in Diddle Arena or at the gate.

TICKETS

WKU Ticket Office: Online at WKUTickets.com, in person at E.A. Diddle Arena, via phone at 1-800-5-BIG Red or 745-5222 locally.

LAST GAME AGAINST WRIGHT STATE:

First meeting

MED CENTER HEALTH

The 2017-18 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.