No. 2 Seed Tops Open C-USA Tourney in Thursday Quarterfinals

WKU Game Notes

Coach Stansbury Interview | Savage/Hollingsworth/Bassey Interview

FRISCO, Texas — WKU Hilltopper Basketball enters this week's Conference USA Championship as the No. 2 seed and will face No. 10 North Texas in the quarterfinals at 8:30 p.m. CT Thursday in Frisco, Texas. The game will air on Stadium and on WKU-PBS locally in Bowling Green.

The Hilltoppers won 62-59 at North Texas on Feb. 9 with head coach Rick Stansbury sidelined with a back injury. WKU is 21-5 all-time vs. North Texas, including nine straight victories.

North Texas beat No. 7 seed FIU in Wednesday's first round to snap a seven-game losing streak. The Mean Green made 11 3-pointers.

GAME 32

Conference USA Tournament Quarterfinals
No. 10 North Texas (21-11) vs. No. 2 WKU (18-13)
March 14, 2019 | 8:30 p.m. CT
Ford Center at The Star | Frisco, 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; WKU-PBS in Bowling Green (Noah Coslov, pxp | Tim Doyle, analysis)
Live Stats: Conference USA Stats

QUICK SHOTS

• WKU's No. 2 seed in the Conference USA Tournament is its highest finish in five years in C-USA, as well as its highest finish overall since claiming the No. 2 seed in the Sun Belt Conference in 2014.
• The Hilltoppers are 20-5 in quarterfinal matchups since joining the Sun Belt in the 1982-83 season.
• 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 of 1,007 games dates back to March 15, 1987.
• WKU ranks 13th in the country in total blocks and 11th in blocked shots per game, and 16th in percentage of opponents' shots blocked, according to Ken Pomeroy. Its average of 5.0 blocks per game would tie its highest on record. Charles Bassey ranks second in C-USA in blocks per game (2.4).
• Sophomore guard Taveion Hollingsworth needs just 53 points to reach 1,000.
• In the last 10 games, redshirt senior guard Lamonte Bearden has 66 combined assists against just 17 turnovers. He leads C-USA in conference play with a 3.2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio.
• Sophomore guard Josh Anderson is 1 of 12 players in the country with at least 120 total rebounds, 52 steals and 21 blocks this season. He's 1 of 2 players from Conference USA to reach those marks.
• WKU freshman center Charles Bassey could become the second freshman in the country since 1992 – along with Greg Oden – to average 15 points, nine rebounds and two blocks per game, while also shooting at least 60 percent from the field.
• As of Sunday, Charles Bassey ranked second in the nation among freshmen in total rebounds (308), third in total blocks (74) and third in field-goal percentage (62.9 percent).
• As of Sunday, Charles Bassey ranked in the top 30 nationally in double-doubles (20th), field-goal percentage (11th), blocks per game (15th), total blocks (14th), rebounds per game (18th), defensive rebounds per game (29th) and total rebounds (21st).
• Charles Bassey's 15 double-doubles this season are the most on record by a Hilltopper freshman. Bassey leads C-USA in double-doubles and ranks second in the nation among freshmen in double-doubles.

LAST MEETING WITH NORTH TEXAS: FEBRUARY 9, 2019

WKU built a 15-point halftime lead at North Texas but had to hold on in the second half, scrapping its way to a 62-59 road victory at The Super Pit. The Hilltoppers were playing their second straight game without head coach Rick Stansbury, who was out with a lingering back injury. Freshman center Charles Bassey led WKU with 18 points, seven rebounds and four blocks, while Taveion Hollingsworth added 14 points and seven boards.

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.

No. 2 Seed Tops Open C-USA Tourney in Thursday Quarterfinals

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Players Mentioned

Josh Anderson

Charles Bassey

Lamonte Bearden

Taveion Hollingsworth