Hilltopper Hysteria Set for Oct. 13 on Homecoming Weekend

Friday, October 13

E.A. Diddle Arena

7 p.m.

Western Kentucky University

Hilltopper Hysteria

Photo by: WKU Athletics

9/20/2017 1:48:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Women's Basketball

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — WKU's annual tip-off event for Hilltopper and Lady Topper Basketball, Hilltopper Hysteria, will take place Friday, Oct. 13, beginning at 7 p.m. in E.A. Diddle Arena.

Parking and admission are free for the event, which will be part of a festive Homecoming weekend on The Hill.

Hilltopper Hysteria, presented by local McDonald's, will be a ticketed event this season, although it remains free admission. Season ticket holders for men's basketball will have first priority to ensure their season ticket seat locations for Hysteria, but must do so by 5 p.m. Oct. 2.

After that, women's basketball season ticket holders will have priority to secure remaining seats for Hysteria on Oct. 3-4. Starting Oct. 5 through the time of the event, seats will be available to the general public.

The festivities will begin at 7 p.m. with introductions of the Lady Topper Basketball program and a women's scrimmage.

Men's basketball introductions are slated for 7:30 p.m. Both squads will then participate in the annual Shooting Stars Challenge, with a scrimmage by the Hilltoppers to follow. An autograph session on the court will conclude the evening.

Leading into Hilltopper Hysteria, the WKU Soccer program will host Florida Atlantic at 6 p.m. at the WKU Soccer Complex on campus.

WKU Hilltopper Basketball brings a roster with several new faces into its second season under head coach Rick Stansbury, including four members of a nationally recognized recruiting class.

The team will be led by senior forward Justin Johnson, a three-year veteran and the team's leading scorer and rebounder for the past two seasons. Johnson led Conference USA in both rebounding and double-doubles last year.

The Hilltoppers also add the services of several transfers, including guards Lamonte Bearden and Darius Thompson, and forward Dwight Coleby. Those three have participated in a combined seven NCAA Tournaments.

The Hilltoppers are 584-166 all-time at Diddle Arena and are one of the nation's most storied programs. WKU ranks third in NCAA history in regular-season league titles (42), seventh in 20-win seasons (43), ninth in all-time winning percentage (.660) and 18th in all-time wins (1,748).

Led by a pair of returning All-C-USA selections in Ivy Brown and Tashia Brown, the Lady Toppers will seek to continue their strong run of success over the last five seasons under Head Coach Michelle Clark-Heard. Under Clark-Heard, WKU has collected a 139-30 (.822) record and captured three conference tournament championships; in addition, WKU has 84 wins in three seasons since becoming a member of C-USA, the most in the history of the conference by any team in a three-season span.

Alongside the Browns, the Lady Toppers are set to add eight newcomers to the 2017-18 squad, including freshmen Terri Smith, Nichel Tampa, Sherry Porter, Elizabeth Anderson and Raneem Elgedawy. Rounding out the newcomers for WKU this upcoming season will be Arame Niang and transfers Alexis Brewer and JaNoah Daniels.

Last season, WKU finished with a 27-7 overall record and a 16-2 mark in C-USA play, sweeping both the regular season and conference tournament championship in the process. The Lady Toppers reached the NCAA Tournament for the third time under Clark-Heard and turned in a strong outing, nearly upsetting fifth-seeded Ohio State in the opening round in Lexington, Ky., in the program's 19th NCAA appearance.

Lady Topper Basketball holds a rich tradition as one of the traditional powerhouses in women's college basketball. One of only eight Division I teams in the nation with a 10-game winning streak in each of the last four seasons, WKU ranks 10th overall in NCAA history with 960 total victories in school history; the Lady Toppers are also one of only seven teams in the nation with one or fewer home losses in each of the last three seasons, joining perennial powers such as UConn, Baylor and Notre Dame, who WKU hosts at home Nov. 14.

Season tickets are now available for Hilltopper and Lady Topper Basketball! Season tickets start at $149 each for the men and $40 for the women. The #SelloutDiddle campaign is in full force and less than 1,500 men's tickets remain for this season. Family Plan tickets are available for Lady Topper Basketball in the 200-level of Diddle Arena for only $25 each when purchased in groups of four or more. Don't miss the excitement of Hilltopper and Lady Topper Basketball! Order your tickets now by visiting WKUTickets.com or call 1-800-5-BIGRED.

Hilltopper Hysteria is presented by local McDonald's. Hilltop Club, off-campus student housing, is an associate sponsor of the event.