BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – With six players in double-figure scoring and two Hilltoppers on the cusp of triple-doubles, WKU Hilltopper Basketball cruised past the South Carolina State Bulldogs 90-64 on Saturday afternoon in E.A. Diddle Arena.
"Our challenge was: can you come off a long trip with three games, a long day of traveling and play your fourth game in six days," said head coach Rick Stansbury. "That was our challenge. We knew we were better than South Carolina State and that's no disrespect, we just that we knew we were better. But can you come back and play with the energy you've got to play with? That was something that we needed and I thought we did that. I thought our guys came out ready to play, shared the basketball, moved the basketball."
WKU started out the game on a 22-4 run, extending its run to near the 12-minute mark. The run was made up of baskets from five different Hilltoppers, with nine of the points coming from the hot hands of Luke Frampton who nailed three 3-pointers.
Emmanuel Akot joined in on the 3's with one of his own while the rest of the starting five also got in on the scoring action.
South Carolina State eventually strung together seven straight between the 8:20 and 5:39 marks on the clock, but the Hilltoppers roared back, scoring 14 of the final 20 points of the half. WKU led 47-30 at the break.
The hot shooting didn't end in the first half as the Red and White came out of halftime on a tear, going on a 11-0 run between 16:14 and 13:33. The Hilltoppers ran up their lead to 65-38 midway through the second half.
As time wore on, the Bulldogs' Lesown Hallums was able to score six straight and Raquan Brown tacked on another five of his own, but the run wasn't powerful enough to overcome the Tops. Dayvion McKnight scored WKU's final nine points of the game.
"Honestly, even though, we went three games in a row, and traveled all day Thursday, we still realized that we had to come back," said Jamarion Sharp on the long week. "We still had a game that we had to fight for, so that's what we did."
While South Carolina State outscored WKU in the paint 46-30, the Hilltoppers outrebounded the Bulldogs a remarkable 50-28. The 50-board game was the most WKU has rebounded against any opponent since pulling down the same amount against Rhodes College on Nov. 30, 2021. It's the most the Hilltoppers have had against a Division I opponent since notching 52 against Mississippi Valley State on Dec. 6, 2020.
The Hilltoppers dished out 22 assists on 29 made buckets while also shooting 50% from the field for the third time this season.
WKU had six players in double-figure scoring: Frampton (18), Akot (17), Tyrone Marshall (16), McKnight (14), Jairus Hamilton (12) and Sharp (10).
"We're a threat everywhere," said McKnight on his teammates' ability to score. "Coming off ball screens from [Jamarion], getting to the paint and then making guys really make a decision if they want to come help on me or stay attached to their guys. Plus, we've still got [Jamarion] rolling and diving to the hole so it helps a lot and it opens up the floor a lot too."
Sharp nearly notched a triple-double with eight rebounds and seven blocks. McKnight logged a double-double, narrowly missing the triple mark, with 10 assists and eight rebounds.
South Carolina State's Hallums scored 21 points, adding four boards, three steals and an assist.
Up next, WKU will travel to Austin Peay, just an hour southwest of Bowling Green, to take on the Governors on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. CT. The game will stream on ESPN+.
"I didn't know what to expect today with Saturday football going on, but we had a great crowd today. No question, when that crowd gets into it, it means so much for us. We need them back when we go to Austin Peay Wednesday. It's an hour away, just a drive."
Western Kentucky University Athletics
- Champions Climb Here
- WKU Athletics
- Athletic Director
- Academic Services
- Annual Report
- Athletic Communications
- Athletic Hall of Fame
- Athletic Training
- Big Red
- CLIMB Program - NIL
- Compliance
- Facilities
- Financial Reports
- For Students
- Student Employment
- Forms/Requests
- Book Big Red
- Donation Requests
- Site Feedback
- For Fans
- Hilltopper Highlights
- Gameday Promotions
- Alumni Tailgates
- Big Red's Rascals
- Basketball Gameday
- Football Gameday
- Mobile Tickets
- Travel Center
- Tickets
- Give
