Hilltoppers Host Troy in Sunday Afternoon Matchup

WKU Game Notes | Troy Game Notes

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — WKU Hilltopper Basketball begins a stretch of 3 of 4 games at home against Troy at 2 p.m. CT Sunday at E.A. Diddle Arena. The game will air on ESPN3, on WKU-PBS in Bowling Green and on WBNA in Louisville.

The Hilltoppers most recently earned a 78-77 road win at Arkansas on Dec. 8, snapping the Razorbacks' 28-game nonconference home winning streak.

Troy defeated Carver College 88-43 on Wednesday. WKU leads the all-time series against the Trojans 12-7, although the former Sun Belt foes haven't played since 2014. Head coach Rick Stansbury is 3-0 all-time against Troy.

GAME 10

Troy (4-5) at WKU (5-4)
December 16, 2018 | 2 p.m. CT
E.A. Diddle Arena | Bowling Green, Ky.

BROADCAST

Listen: Hilltopper IMG Sports Network (WKLX 100.7 FM flagship), WKUSports.tv (free), TuneIn Radio (Randy Lee, pxp | Hal Schmitt, analysis)
Watch: ESPN3; WKU-PBS (BG), WBNA (Louisville) (Graham Doty, pxp | Jay Walton, analysis)
Live Stats: WKU Stats

QUICK SHOTS

• Troy is led by head coach Phil Cunningham, who spent 12 seasons as an assistant coach to Rick Stansbury at Mississippi State from 2000-12. Also on Cunningham's staff at Troy is Marcus Grant, who was a staffer and assistant coach to Stansbury for eight seasons at Mississippi State. WKU's current director of operations, Talvis Franklin, spent one season under Cunningham at Troy as video coordinator from 2015-16.
• Troy's leading scorer, Jordon Varnado, is the younger brother of Jarvis Varnado, who was an NBA Draft pick and the all-time NCAA leader in blocks at Mississippi State under Rick Stansbury.
• WKU is 27-6 (.818) at E.A. Diddle Arena under head coach Rick Stansbury, including 13-2 against non-conference opponents. The Tops are 600-169 all-time at Diddle Arena for a .780 winning percentage.
• The Hilltoppers have made a 3-pointer in 985 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 ranks 17th in the country in blocked shots per game, and 12th in percentage of opponents' shots blocked, according to Ken Pomeroy. Its average of 5.6 blocks per game would be its highest on record since programs began tracking the statistic. Charles Bassey leads C-USA in blocked shots per game (2.7).
• The Hilltoppers rank 36th in the country in free-throw rate, according to Ken Pomeroy. They've shot 48 more free throws than their opponents this year, a calling card of the program.
• Sophomore Taveion Hollingsworth has scored at least 10 points in 34 of his 47 career games. He's scored at least 20 points in 11 of those outings, including a 24-point showing at Missouri State on Dec. 5.
• As of Friday, Charles Bassey was tied for third in the country among freshmen for rebounds per game (9.6) and total blocks (24). He leads C-USA in total (9.6) and offensive (3.1) rebounds per game.
• As of Friday, Charles Bassey ranked in the top 50 in the country in double-doubles (28th), field-goal percentage (36th), blocks per game (18th), total blocks (16th), and total rebounds per game (28th).

TICKETS

WKU Ticket Office: Limited tickets remain for the Troy game by calling 1-800-5-BIGRED, visiting WKUTickets.com or coming to the WKU Ticket Office in person on gameday.

PROMOTIONS

• Teddy Bear Toss: Fans are encouraged to bring a Teddy Bear or stuffed animal to throw onto the court at halftime. All Teddy Bears and stuffed animals will be donated to Toys For Tots after the game.
• Santa will be at the game from 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. in the Hall of Champions for fans to visit and take photos.
• All members of Big Red's Rascals will receive a complimentary ticket to the game
• Fifth piece of 16-piece 100th season commemorative poster (Carson Williams/John Oldham) for first 3,000 fans

LAST GAME AGAINST TROY: FEBRUARY 13, 2014

WKU led by 16 points in the second half and fended off a furious Troy rally for an 81-76 win at E.A. Diddle Arena. T.J. Price led WKU with 22 points, and George Fant added 16 and six rebounds.

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.

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Players Mentioned

Charles Bassey

Taveion Hollingsworth

Carson Williams