Hilltoppers Host Florida Atlantic on Thursday Night

WKU Game Notes | Florida Atlantic Game Notes

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — WKU Hilltopper Basketball is tied for second in Conference USA heading into a home game against Florida Atlantic at 7:30 p.m. CT Thursday at E.A. Diddle Arena. The game is the nightcap of a doubleheader with the women's team and is scheduled to start 30 minutes after the conclusion of the Lady Toppers' contest.

The Hilltoppers are coming off a 74-63 loss at UTSA, just their second defeat in their last 11 outings.

Florida Atlantic has lost four of its last five games but is 3-2 on the road in league play, including a win at UTSA. WKU leads the all-time series against the Owls 14-5, including four straight.

WKU head coach Rick Stansbury is 2-1 in his career against FAU.

GAME 24

Florida Atlantic (10-13, 4-7 C-USA) at WKU (16-7, 8-2 C-USA)
February 8, 2018 | 7:30 p.m. CT
Bowling Green, Ky. | E.A. Diddle Arena

BROADCAST

Listen: Hilltopper IMG Sports Network (WKLX 100.7 FM flagship), WKUSports.tv (free), TuneIn Radio (free) (Randy Lee, pxp | Hal Schmitt, analysis)
Watch: Fox College Sports Atlantic, WKU PBS, WBNA (Radio Simulcast)
Live Stats: WKU Stats

QUICK SHOTS

• WKU is 20-6 (.769) at E.A. Diddle Arena under head coach Rick Stansbury. The Hilltoppers are 593-168 all-time at Diddle Arena for a .778 winning percentage.
• WKU has made at least one 3-pointer in 961 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.
• WKU's current scoring average of 77.4 points per game would be the program's highest since 2006-07.
• WKU ranks 26th in the country in field goal percentage and second in Conference USA at 48.8 percent. That percentage would rank ninth for a single season in program history.
• WKU has outscored its opponents 924-666 in the paint this season.
• The Hilltoppers' seven losses have come by a total of 37 points – an average of 5.3 points per game.
• WKU has attempted 109 more free throws in league play than its conference foes.
• Taveion Hollingsworth has scored in double figures in 15 of the last 17 games.
• In his last 20 games, Darius Thompson has 100 combined assists and just 37 turnovers. He has at least four assists in 17 of 23 games this season and is third in C-USA in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.5-to-1.
• Through 23 games, Lamonte Bearden has 38 steals. No Hilltopper had more than 28 steals all last year.
• Lamonte Bearden is 54 points from reaching 1,000 for his career across his time at Buffalo and WKU.
• Justin Johnson has grabbed at least 12 rebounds in six of the last nine games and has done so in nine games overall this season. He had just seven such games all last season.
• As of Tuesday, Justin Johnson was ranked seventh among active NCAA players for career rebounds and tied for 11th in career double-doubles. He's one of just four active NCAA players with at least 1,400 career points and 900 rebounds.
• Justin Johnson is ranked 17th on WKU's all-time scoring list with 1,442 career points. He needs 69 points to pass Art Spoelstra to move into 16th.
• Justin Johnson ranks eighth on WKU's all-time rebounding list with 919 career boards. He needs six rebounds to pass Harry Todd for seventh. Johnson is one of six Hilltoppers in program history ranked in the top 20 in scoring and the top 10 in rebounding.
• Justin Johnson currently ranks ninth on WKU's all-time list for career field goal percentage at 54.2 percent. He's less than two percentage points from fifth place.
• Justin Johnson needs 81 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.

TICKETS

WKU Ticket Office: Online at WKUTickets.com, in person at E.A. Diddle Arena, via phone at 1-800-5-BIG Red or 745-5222 locally.

PROMOTIONS

• WKU Faculty/Staff Appreciation: In advance of gameday, faculty and staff can receive two free tickets while supplies last.

LAST GAME AGAINST FLORIDA ATLANTIC: DECEMBER 31, 2016

Anton Waters scored 11 points and matched his career-high with 10 rebounds to help WKU beat Florida Atlantic 69-54 in Boca Raton, Fla. Que Johnson and Jabari McGhee each scored 13 points for the Hilltoppers.

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

Lamonte Bearden

Taveion Hollingsworth

Justin Johnson

Que Johnson

Jabari McGhee

Darius Thompson

Anton Waters