Hilltoppers to Face RV/#13 West Virginia in Myrtle Beach Semifinals

WKU Game Notes

THE TIP-OFF

CONWAY, S.C. — WKU Hilltopper Basketball continues play in the Myrtle Beach Invitational against RV/No. 13 West Virginia at 8 p.m. CT Friday in the semifinals on the campus of Coastal Carolina in Conway, S.C. The game will be broadcast on ESPNU.

WKU opened the tournament Thursday with an 83-71 win over Valparaiso. West Virginia defeated Monmouth 71-53.

The Hilltoppers are 1-2 all-time against the Mountaineers but haven't played since WKU won 64-62 in the 1987 NCAA Tournament. All three previous meetings have been on a neutral court. WKU head coach Rick Stansbury is 1-1 all-time in his career against West Virginia.

GAME 4

Myrtle Beach Invitational Semifinals
West Virginia (1-1) vs. WKU (2-1)
November 16, 2018 | 8 p.m. CT
HTC Center | Conway, S.C.

BROADCAST

Listen: Hilltopper IMG Sports Network (WKLX 100.7 FM flagship), WKUSports.tv (free), TuneIn Radio (Jeff Younglove, pxp | Hal Schmitt, analysis)
Watch: ESPNU (Rich Hollenberg, pxp | Debbie Antonelli, analysis)
Live Stats: Myrtle Beach Stats

QUICK SHOTS

• WKU is 32-99 all-time against ranked opponents, including 11-27 on neutral sites. The Hilltoppers have already faced one top-25 team this season, No. 25/24 Washington on the road. The Hilltoppers picked up a top-25 win at a neutral site last season by defeating No. 18/16 Purdue at the 2017 Battle 4 Atlantis.
• WKU is 6-16 all-time against the current Big 12 membership, including last year's NIT win at Oklahoma State. Hilltopper head coach Rick Stansbury is 3-5 in his career against current Big 12 members.
• WKU is 5-3 in neutral-site games since the beginning of the 2017-18 season, including regular-season victories over Valparaiso on Thursday, and over top-25 Purdue and SMU at the 2017 Battle 4 Atlantis.
• The Hilltoppers have made a 3-pointer in 979 straight games dating back to March 15, 1987. WKU entered the season tied with Arkansas for the fourth-longest streak in the nation of consecutive games with a made 3. Only UNLV (1,039), Vanderbilt (1,031) and Duke (1,021) had longer streaks to start the year.
• WKU was one of four schools in the nation – along with Kansas, Syracuse and Texas A&M – with wins over teams from the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and Pac-12 last season. The Hilltoppers were the only school outside the Power 5 to accomplish the feat.
• The Hilltoppers are 38-1 under head coach Rick Stansbury when leading with five minutes to play.
• Sophomore Taveion Hollingsworth has scored at least 10 points in 29 of his 41 career games. He's scored at least 20 points in 10 of those outings, including a 23-point showing against Valparaiso on Nov. 15.
• Last season, Taveion Hollingsworth was named to the Conference USA All-Freshman Team and set new Hilltopper records in 2017-18 for most points scored (506), minutes played (1,312) and games started (38) by a freshman. He and graduate senior Desean Murray were named to the Preseason All-C-USA Team.
• Not only is freshman center Charles Bassey the highest-rated recruit to play for WKU in several decades, he's also one of the top-five youngest players in college basketball this season.
• After just three college games, Charles Bassey needs just four blocks to reach WKU's all-time top 10 list for most blocks in a season by a freshman.

LAST GAME AGAINST WEST VIRGINIA: MARCH 13, 1987

Tellis Frank led WKU with 17 points, and the 10th-seeded Hilltoppers overcame a large rebounding deficit and not making a 3-pointer to defeat seventh-seeded West Virginia 64-62 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Syracuse, N.Y. Kannard Johnson made the game-winning basket for WKU at the buzzer.

MED CENTER HEALTH

The 2018-19 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.

Hilltoppers to Face RV/#13 West Virginia in Myrtle Beach Semifinals

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Players Mentioned

Charles Bassey

Taveion Hollingsworth