Hilltoppers Begin Texas Swing at UTEP on Thursday Night

WKU Game Notes | UTEP Game Notes

PREVIEW VIDEO: Coach Stansbury | Savage/Justice

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — WKU Hilltopper Basketball will go for its third straight win at UTEP at 8 p.m. CT Thursday in El Paso, Texas. The game will stream online on Stadium on Facebook.

WKU secured a spot in the top pod of Conference USA's upcoming Bonus Play by sweeping Louisiana Tech and Southern Miss at home last week. The Tops are in second place in the league at 9-3, one game behind North Texas.

UTEP has lost three straight, most recently falling 72-53 at Old Dominion on Saturday. WKU is 5-1 all-time against the Miners, including 1-1 in El Paso. Hilltopper head coach Rick Stansbury is 3-0 in his career against UTEP.

GAME 25

WKU (16-8, 9-3 C-USA) at UTEP (13-12, 4-8 C-USA)
February 13, 2020 | 8 p.m. CT
Don Haskins Center | El Paso, Texas

BROADCAST

Listen: Hilltopper Sports Network (WKLX 100.7 FM flagship), C-USA.tv Audio (free), TuneIn Radio (Randy Lee, pxp | Hal Schmitt, analysis)
Watch: Stadium on Facebook (Chris Hassel, pxp | Tim Scarborough, analysis | Kristen Balboni, sideline)
Live Stats: UTEP Stats

TOP STORYLINES

• WKU's comeback from a 10-point halftime deficit against Southern Miss on Saturday was its fourth win in Conference USA play after trailing by 10 or more points.

• The Hilltoppers had just three turnovers in Saturday's win over Southern Miss – the program's fewest in a game since at least the 1971-72 season, when full turnover stats became available.

• WKU has made 113 more free throws (409) than its opponents have even attempted (296) through 24 games.

• In the last 10 games, junior guard Taveion Hollingsworth is averaging 17.7 points per game while shooting 87.7 percent (57 of 65) from the free-throw line. Hollingsworth now ranks 20th in WKU history in all-time scoring, as well as 10th in career games started and career minutes.

• Since the season-ending injury to Charles Bassey, redshirt junior forward Carson Williams is averaging 15.4 points and 7.5 rebounds over the last 14 outings. He's shooting 57.3 percent from the field overall.

• Junior guard Josh Anderson entered the starting lineup with Bassey out. After reaching double figures in two of the first nine games of the year, Anderson has scored at least 10 points in 12 of the last 15.

• As of Tuesday, WKU ranked seventh nationally in free-throw percentage (78.7), 15th in free throws made (409), fourth in fouls per game (13.4), 58th in field-goal percentage (46.2) and 52nd in free-throw attempts (520).

LAST GAME AGAINST UTEP: FEBRUARY 2, 2019

WKU valued the ball for the second straight outing and made a living at the free-throw line, pushing past UTEP 76-59 at E.A. Diddle Arena.

The Hilltoppers committed just nine turnovers and netted 19 of 29 shots from the charity stripe.

Sophomore guard Josh Anderson led all scorers with 18 points, including 14 in an explosive first half. Freshman center Charles Bassey registered his fifth double-double in his last six games with 17 points and 12 rebounds.

Redshirt junior guard/forward Jared Savage scored 14 points, and redshirt senior guard Lamonte Bearden tallied nine points, seven assists and four rebounds.

MED CENTER HEALTH

The 2019-20 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

Jared Savage

Carson Williams