Hilltoppers Fall at Indiana State in 63-54 Setback

Saturday, November 24

Terre Haute, IN

1 p.m.

Western Kentucky University

3-3

Indiana State

3-1

WKU

Indiana St.

11/24/2018 3:50:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Rick Stansbury Video Interview Taveion Hollingsworth Video Interview Jared Savage Video Interview

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. — WKU Hilltopper Basketball never got going in any facet Saturday, falling 63-54 at Indiana State.

The Hilltoppers (3-3) shot just 36.8 percent from the field and committed 15 turnovers, including nine in the second half against just one assist.

"I'll take responsibility for it," WKU head coach Rick Stansbury said. "We had a very poor week of preparation. We will never make an excuse, but our first practice was Thursday evening (because of illness) and still didn't have everybody. But that's no excuse. You've got to find a way to play with the effort and toughness you have to play with on the road to win. I didn't feel from the get-go we had the energy, toughness or connections you have to have to win on the road."

Freshman center Charles Bassey led WKU with 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting, but the rest of the team was a combined 15 of 50 from the field. Bassey added eight rebounds and four blocks.

Indiana State (3-1) made 9 of 18 3-pointers and outscored WKU in second-chance points (14-12) and points off the bench (18-5).

"We came out flat and never really picked it up," redshirt junior guard/forward Jared Savage said. "There's no explanation for it. It's a gameday, so we have to come out and perform, and we didn't do it today."

WKU led 9-5 at the 14:42 mark of the first half on a dunk by Bassey, but Indiana State went on a 9-0 run to claim a 14-9 advantage. The Sycamores never trailed again.

The Hilltoppers had several opportunities to cut into the lead that were hampered by numerous turnovers that killed momentum.

Five straight points from freshman guard Dalano Banton made it 48-46 ISU with 7:33 to play, but the Sycamores answered with five straight points.

Later, two free throws from sophomore guard Taveion Hollingsworth trimmed Indiana State's lead to 56-51, but the Hilltoppers committed two straight turnovers before ISU guard Jordan Barnes knocked down a crucial 3.

Barnes led Indiana State with 17 points and seven rebounds.

"We need to learn to come out hard, every possession," Hollingsworth said. "We've talked about this before, but we're just sluggish sometimes and can't seem to pick it up."

The Hilltoppers finally return home after three weeks on the road to host Tennessee State at 6 p.m. CT Saturday at E.A. Diddle Arena. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.