| Game 19 at Louisiana Tech Thursday, January 19 | 8 p.m. CT | Ruston, La. Season presented by Med Center Health |
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| Records | WKU (11-7, 3-4 C-USA) • Louisiana Tech (10-8, 3-4 C-USA) | ||||
| Listen | Hilltopper Sports Network (WKLX 100.7 FM flagship); C-USA.tv Audio; Varsity Network Randy Lee (pxp) | Hal Schmitt (analysis) |
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| Watch | CBS Sports Network John Sadak (pxp) | Mark Turgeon (analysis) |
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| Live Stats | LA Tech Stats | ||||
| Tickets | LA Tech Tickets | ||||
| Game Notes | WKU Game Notes | ||||
| Most Recent Media | Interim HC Phil Cunningham Postgame Media | Frampton/Rawls Postgame Media | ||||
| Social Media | @WKUBasketball  | @WKUBasketball  | Facebook  | YouTube  |
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BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — WKU Hilltopper Basketball will take a one-game road trip to Louisiana Tech on Thursday night at 8 p.m. CT. The contest will be televised on CBS Sports Network.
The Hilltoppers are recently coming off a 76-62 loss to #24 Florida Atlantic at home. Louisiana Tech had a bye for the Monday night game around the league and recently fell to UAB at home 81-74.
This will be WKU's fourth game in eight days. The all-time series between the programs is tied at 20-20. WKU is 7-6 against the Bulldogs in the Rick Stansbury era.
WKU VS. LOUISIANA TECH SERIES BREAKDOWN
Overall History: Tied at 20-20
Series Record at Ruston: Louisiana Tech leads 10-6
Last Meeting: Louisiana Tech 59, WKU 57 | March 10, 2022 | C-USA Quarterfinals – Frisco, Texas
WKU Hilltopper Basketball's season came to a close with a tight 59-57 loss to Louisiana Tech in the Conference USA Tournament quarterfinals in Frisco, Texas.
The Hilltoppers pulled in front 57-54 with 3:47 left, but didn't score again.
Louisiana Tech got a floater in the lane to pull within one with 2:52 to go, and then Kenneth Lofton Jr. scored the go-ahead basket with 24 seconds left.
Lofton Jr. added a single free throw with four seconds to go, and WKU's final heave at the buzzer was off the mark.
Sophomore guard Dayvion McKnight led WKU with 20 points and seven rebounds.
Fifth-year senior guard Josh Anderson tallied 16 points, five rebounds and four steals in his final game in the Hilltopper uniform, while graduate senior guard Camron Justice added 15 points in his final college game.
Junior center Jamarion Sharp added four points, 10 rebounds and six blocks.
The Hilltoppers finished 3-for-21 from 3-point range but missed their first nine long-range shots, while Louisiana Tech made seven 3s before the break to build a lead as large as 14 at 31-17 with 6:03 left.
WKU came charging back by finishing the half on a 16-5 run, including a four-point play by Justice and another 3 with eight seconds to go that cut it to 36-33 at halftime.
The Hilltoppers took their first lead of the game at 50-49 on a transition 3 by Anderson with 9:37 to play.
Anderson's steal and dunk put WKU up 56-54 with 4:25 remaining, and McKnight tacked on a free throw with 3:48 left, but that was where the Tops' scoring ended.
Keaston Willis led Louisiana Tech with 17 points, while Lofton Jr. finished with 15 points, 12 rebounds and five assists.
TOP STORYLINES
- Over the last 10 games, Dayvion McKnight is averaging 21.4 points and 5.7 rebounds per game while shooting 49.1% (81-165) from the field and 80.8% (42-54) from the charity stripe. He's scored 25 points or more in 5 of those 10 games. He's shooting 58.5% (10-17) from 3 in conference play.
- Head coach Rick Stansbury has missed the last seven games, all in conference play, due to health issues. Associate head coach Phil Cunningham stepped in the interim as he did before in 2021.
- WKU took its first three conference losses by a total of 12 points. The Hilltoppers are outscoring opponents 225-190 in the first half but being outscored 265-303 in the second.
- As of Wednesday, Jamarion Sharp leads the country in total blocks (77) and blocks per game (4.3), leading the Hilltoppers to sixth in the nation as a team in blocks per game (5.9).
- In just 50 games as a Hilltopper, Jamarion Sharp broke the program record for blocks in a career, previously held by Jeremy Evans.
- Jamarion Sharp's 77 blocks are more than what 80% of Division I programs have logged as a team. His average of 4.3 blocks/game is more than what 78% of Division I teams are averaging.
- In the last two seasons, Dayvion McKnight has started in all 50 of WKU's contests, scoring at least 10 points in 43 of those.
- With 13 blocks against Indianapolis on Nov. 15, the Hilltoppers broke the program's record for blocks in a single game.
MED CENTER HEALTH
The 2022-23 WKU Basketball season is proudly presented by Med Center Health. Med Center Health has served Southcentral Kentucky for more than 90 years, and its system of care includes six acute care hospitals, a comprehensive network of physician practices and clinics, and hundreds of area physicians offering care in dozens of specialties. From emergency treatment to preventative care, Med Center Health is dedicated to improving the quality of life in the communities it serves. Learn more at medcenterhealth.org.
