Hilltopper Visit Old Dominion in Battle of C-USA Unbeatens

WKU Game Notes | Old Dominion Game Notes | Conference USA Game Notes

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — WKU Hilltopper Basketball heads to Old Dominion for a battle of unbeaten teams in Conference USA play at 7 p.m. CT Thursday in Norfolk, Va.

The Hilltoppers improved to 3-0 in league play for the third time in four years with a 112-87 rout at Marshall.

Old Dominion is also 3-0 in league action and has won seven straight games. The Monarchs are 6-0 at home this season. ODU leads the all-time series 18-16 and has won six straight against WKU. The Hilltoppers haven't won in Norfolk since 1991.

WKU head coach Rick Stansbury is 1-2 in his career against the Monarchs.

GAME 17

WKU (11-5, 3-0 C-USA) at Old Dominion (12-3, 3-0 C-USA)
January 11, 2018 | 7 p.m. CT
Norfolk, Va. | Ted Constant Convocation Center

BROADCAST

Listen: Hilltopper IMG Sports Network (WKLX 100.7 FM flagship), WKUSports.tv (free), TuneIn Radio (free) (Randy Lee, pxp | Hal Schmitt, analysis)
Watch: beIN SPORTS (Mike Gleason, pxp | Jason Capel, analysis)
Live Stats: Old Dominion Stats

QUICK SHOTS

• WKU has made at least one 3-pointer in 954 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 sixth-longest in the nation behind Kentucky, UNLV, Vanderbilt, Duke and Arkansas.
• WKU has trailed for just 26 combined seconds in its three opening Conference USA wins.
• WKU's current scoring average of 79.6 points per game would be the program's highest since 1994-95.
• WKU ranks 16th in the country in field goal percentage and first in Conference USA at 50.4 percent. That percentage would tie for fifth for a single season in program history.
• WKU ranks 29th in the country in 3-point percentage and first in Conference USA at 39.8 percent. That percentage would rank third for a single season in program history.
• WKU has outscored its opponents 678-449 in the paint this season.
• The Hilltoppers' five losses have come by a total of 22 points – an average of 4.4 points per game.
• In his last 13 games, Darius Thompson has 73 combined assists and just 19 turnovers. He has at least four assists in 14 of 16 games this season and ranks second in C-USA in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.8-to-1.
• Darius Thompson ranks 24th in the country in minutes per game (36.8) and 44th in total minutes (588).
• Taveion Hollingsworth has scored at least 12 points in 10 straight games.
• Through 16 games, Lamonte Bearden has 28 steals. No Hilltopper had more than 28 steals all last year.
• Lamonte Bearden is 128 points from reaching 1,000 for his career across his time at Buffalo and WKU.
• As of Tuesday, Justin Johnson was ranked ninth among active NCAA players for career rebounds and tied for 11th in career double-doubles. He's one of just five active NCAA players with at least 1,300 career points and 800 rebounds.
• Justin Johnson is ranked 19th on WKU's all-time scoring list with 1,335 career points. He needs 20 points to pass Craig McCormick to move into 18th.
• Justin Johnson currently ranks seventh on WKU's all-time list for career field goal percentage at 55 percent. He's less than one percentage point from fifth place.
• Justin Johnson needs 19 rebounds to tie Dwight Smith for 10th on WKU's all-time career list with 856.
• Justin Johnson needs 163 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.

LAST GAME AGAINST OLD DOMINION: FEBRUARY 25, 2017

Ahmad Caver sank four 3-pointers, scored 15 points, and dished six assists to help Old Dominion defeat WKU in Norfolk, Va. Pancake Thomas led WKU with 17 points. Que Johnson added 12 and Justin Johnson 11.

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.

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Players Mentioned

Lamonte Bearden

Taveion Hollingsworth

Justin Johnson

Que Johnson

Pancake Thomas

Darius Thompson