Tops Visit North Texas on Saturday in Major Standings Clash

WKU Game Notes | North Texas Game Notes

DENTON, Texas — WKU Hilltopper Basketball completes its road swing at North Texas at 5 p.m. CT Saturday in Denton, Texas. The game will stream online on Stadium on Facebook.

After starting Conference USA play 1-3, the Hilltoppers have won six of their last seven and sit alone in fourth place.

North Texas is enjoying one of its best seasons in program history and is 12-1 on its home court. WKU leads the all-time series over the Mean Green 20-5, including eight straight victories and a 6-2 all-time mark in Denton. WKU head coach Rick Stansbury is 4-0 in his career against North Texas.

GAME 25

WKU (14-10, 7-4 C-USA) at North Texas (20-4, 8-3 C-USA)
February 9, 2019 | 5 p.m. CT
The Super Pit | Denton, Texas

BROADCAST

Listen: Hilltopper IMG Sports Network (WKLX 100.7 FM flagship), WKUSports.tv (free), TuneIn Radio (Randy Lee, pxp | Hal Schmitt, analysis)
Watch: Stadium on Facebook (Jason Knapp, pxp | Dani Klupenger, analysis | Kristen Balboni, sideline)
Live Stats: North Texas Stats

QUICK SHOTS

• WKU head coach Rick Stansbury missed Thursday's game at Rice because of a lingering back injury. Assistant coach Marc Hsu served as interim coach in his place.
• WKU became the fifth program in NCAA history to reach 1,000 straight games with a made 3-pointer at Rice on Feb. 7. The Hilltoppers' streak dates back to March 15, 1987.
• WKU is one of the youngest teams in the country, ranking 327th of 353 in experience, per Ken Pomeroy.
• WKU ranks ninth in the country in total blocks and 18th in blocked shots per game, and 21st in percentage of opponents' shots blocked, according to Ken Pomeroy. Its average of 5.1 blocks per game would tie its highest on record. Charles Bassey ranks second in C-USA in blocks per game (2.3).
• Since putting on a protective mask for a broken nose suffered Jan. 24, sophomore guard Josh Anderson has averaged 20.3 points per game in the last three outings.
• In the last three games, redshirt senior guard Lamonte Bearden has 25 combined assists against just three turnovers. He leads C-USA in conference play with a 3.6-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio.
• WKU freshman center Charles Bassey has more blocks himself (54) this year than 53 Division I teams. He needs just three blocks to crack WKU's top 10 for most blocks in a single season.
• As of Friday, Charles Bassey was tied for the national lead among freshmen in total rebounds (247), tied for third in total blocks (54), and ranked third in field-goal percentage (64.5 percent).
• As of Thursday, Charles Bassey ranked in the top 50 nationally in double-doubles (16th), field-goal percentage (12th), blocks per game (27th), total blocks (26th), rebounds per game (16th), offensive rebounds per game (30th), defensive rebounds per game (28th) and total rebounds (15th).
• Charles Bassey's 12 double-doubles this season are the most on record by a Hilltopper freshman. Bassey leads C-USA in double-doubles and is 1 of 2 freshmen in the entire nation averaging a double-double.
• In the last six games, Charles Bassey is averaging 16 points and 14.3 rebounds per contest.

LAST GAME AGAINST NORTH TEXAS: FEBRUARY 15, 2018

WKU went to overtime for the first time under Rick Stansbury, but used 30 points from Taveion Hollingsworth and 37 made free throws to pull out a 102-94 road victory. Darius Thompson finished with 28 points.

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

Josh Anderson

Charles Bassey

Lamonte Bearden

Taveion Hollingsworth

Darius Thompson