Hilltoppers Continue Title Chase at No. 24 Middle Tennessee

WKU Game Notes | Middle Tennessee Game Notes | Conference USA Notes

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — A conference title is at stake this week for WKU Hilltopper Basketball, starting at No. 24 Middle Tennessee at 7 p.m. CT Thursday in Murfreesboro, Tenn.

WKU has won six straight games and 15 of its last 17, including an 88-66 rout of Old Dominion in Saturday's Senior Night.

MTSU has won 10 in a row and has been ranked for two straight weeks. WKU leads the all-time series – which dates back to the 1914-15 season – 93-42, but MTSU has won 12 of the last 14.

WKU head coach Rick Stansbury is 0-3 all-time against the Blue Raiders.

GAME 30

WKU (22-7, 14-2 C-USA) at No. 24 Middle Tennessee (23-5, 15-1 C-USA)
March 1, 2018 | 7 p.m. CT
Murphy Center | Murfreesboro, Tenn.

BROADCAST

Listen: Hilltopper IMG Sports Network (WKLX 100.7 FM flagship), WKUSports.tv (free), TuneIn Radio (free) (Randy Lee, pxp | Hal Schmitt, analysis)
Watch: CBS Sports Network (Jason Horowitz, pxp | Tim Doyle, analysis)
Live Stats: Middle Tennessee Stats

QUICK SHOTS

• WKU will be trying to defeat multiple ranked teams in a season (also beat Purdue) for the first time since 1993, when it beat No. 13 New Orleans and No. 6 Seton Hall. The Hilltoppers will also be looking for their first true road win over a ranked opponent since beating No. 4 Kentucky in Lexington on Nov. 15, 2001.
• WKU won its last game vs. a ranked league foe, a 72-65 victory over No. 25 Old Dominion on Jan. 10, 2015.
• The Hilltoppers' 22 overall wins and their 14 league wins are both their most since 2008-09.
• WKU has made at least one 3-pointer in 967 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.
• In the last five games, WKU is averaging 90.2 points and shooting a combined 58.2 percent from the field.
• WKU's current scoring average of 79.6 points per game would be the program's highest since 1994-95.
• WKU ranks eighth in the country in field goal percentage and first in Conference USA at 50.2 percent. That percentage would rank seventh for a single season in program history.
• WKU has shot 55 percent or better in five straight games for the first time since 1978-79. The Tops are tied with Arizona for most games shooting 55 percent or better this season with 10.
• WKU has outscored its opponents 1,192-854 in the paint this season.
Taveion Hollingsworth has scored in double figures in 19 of the last 23 games, and the freshman is averaging 16.3 points per game over his last eight outings.
• After averaging 10.2 points over a six-game span and shooting 2 of 17 from 3-point range in that time, Darius Thompson is averaging 17.4 points over his last five outings while shooting 10 of 20 from 3.
• Justin Johnson has grabbed at least 12 rebounds in seven of the last 15 games and has done so in 10 games overall this season. He had just seven such games all last season.
• As of Friday, Justin Johnson was ranked eighth among active NCAA players for career rebounds and tied for 12th in career double-doubles. Johnson is one of four active NCAA players with at least 1,500 career points and 950 rebounds.
• Justin Johnson is ranked 15th on WKU's all-time scoring list with 1,548 career points. He needs 34 points to pass A.J. Slaughter to move into 14th.
• Justin Johnson ranks fifth on WKU's all-time rebounding list with 970 career boards. Johnson is one of five Hilltoppers in program history ranked in the top 15 in scoring and the top 10 in rebounding.
• Justin Johnson needs 30 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 MIDDLE TENNESSEE: JANUARY 20, 2018

Costly turnovers and poor outside shooting worked against WKU in a 66-62 loss to Middle Tennessee at an over-capacity E.A. Diddle Arena. The Hilltoppers shot 52.6 percent in the second half and made 25 of 31 free throws, but Middle Tennessee got 44 combined points from seniors Nick King and Giddy Potts to claim the road win. Senior forward Dwight Coleby led WKU with 19 points, and senior Justin Johnson finished with 15 points and nine rebounds.

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

Dwight Coleby

Taveion Hollingsworth

Justin Johnson

Darius Thompson