Hilltoppers Face Tough Road Test at Belmont on Wednesday

WKU Game Notes | Belmont Game Notes

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — WKU Hilltopper Basketball plays its final non-conference road game at Belmont at 6:30 p.m. CT Wednesday in Nashville, Tenn. The game will air on ESPN+.

The Hilltoppers most recently lost 87-81 at home to Troy on Dec. 16, snapping a streak of eight straight wins for WKU inside E.A. Diddle Arena.

Belmont is coming off a huge 74-72 road win at UCLA on Saturday. The Bruins lead the all-time series against the Hilltoppers 6-4, including five straight wins and four in the last four years. WKU head coach Rick Stansbury is 1-2 all-time in his career against Belmont.

GAME 11

WKU (5-5) at Belmont (8-1)
December 19, 2018 | 6:30 p.m. CT
Curb Event Center | Nashville, Tenn.

BROADCAST

Listen: Hilltopper IMG Sports Network (WKLX 100.7 FM flagship), WKUSports.tv (free), TuneIn Radio (Randy Lee, pxp | Hal Schmitt, analysis)
Watch: ESPN+ ($, paid subscription service) (Kevin Ingram, pxp | Greg Sage, analysis | Katie Myers, sideline)
Live Stats: Belmont Stats

QUICK SHOTS

• WKU has played four teams currently ranked in the Ken Pomeroy Top 60, going 2-2 against those programs: at Washington (54), West Virginia (40), UCF (44) and Arkansas (49). All four games were played away from home. The Hilltoppers are about to begin a five-game stretch that includes four games against top-80 programs.
• After the Belmont game, WKU will have played 8 of 11 games away from E.A. Diddle Arena and traveled more than 8,000 miles over that span.
• The Hilltoppers have made a 3-pointer in 986 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 27th in the country in blocked shots per game, and 26th in percentage of opponents' shots blocked, according to Ken Pomeroy. Its average of 5.1 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 (2.5).
• The Hilltoppers rank 27th in the country in free-throw rate, according to Ken Pomeroy. They've shot 67 more free throws than their opponents this year, a calling card of the program.
• Sophomore Taveion Hollingsworth has scored at least 10 points in 35 of his 48 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 Tuesday, Charles Bassey was ranked fourth nationally among freshmen for rebounds per game (9.5) and tied for fifth in total blocks (25). He leads C-USA in total (9.5) and offensive (3.3) rebounds per game.
• As of Tuesday, Charles Bassey ranked in the top 50 in the country in double-doubles (41st), field-goal percentage (26th), blocks per game (23rd), total blocks (18th), total rebounds per game (32nd) and offensive rebounds per game (42nd).

LAST GAME AGAINST BELMONT: DECEMBER 19, 2017

WKU clawed out of a 12-point hole with 13 minutes remaining to tie Belmont in the final two minutes, but the Bruins' timely shooting was the Hilltoppers' undoing in a 75-72 loss at E.A. Diddle Arena. Justin Johnson, Lamonte Bearden and Taveion Hollingsworth all had 16 points for the Hilltoppers.

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

Lamonte Bearden

Taveion Hollingsworth

Justin Johnson