BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – WKU men's basketball defeated Campbellsville, 101-77, on Wednesday night in E.A. Diddle Arena. Khristian Lander led the Hilltoppers in scoring with a career-high 22 points off 8-for-14 shooting from the field with five rebounds, two assists and a pair of steals.
Six Hilltoppers recorded double-digit point totals in the win over the Tigers, with three of them coming off the bench. As a team, WKU managed to find almost half of their 101 points in the paint (50) and dished out a season-high 20 assists as a collective.
Jalen Jackson led the way in assists with a total of six. Tyrone Marshall Jr. and Brandon Newman tied for second in scoring as each player charted a total of 15 points.Â
Marshall Jr. added four boards, two assists, two blocks and two steals, while Newman totaled seven rebounds, three assists and a steal.
Rodney Howard and Marshall Jr. kicked off the night scoring with back-to-back dunks for a 4-0 lead. Enoch Kalambay went coast-to-coast and connected on a driving layup to put the Tops ahead 10-2 with 17:48 left in the half.
The Tops took a double-digit lead on Marshall's second triple of the night. After the Tigers cut the lead to five, Babacar Faye charted his first points of the night as the Tops reached the 20-point mark up 20-13 with 13:25 in the half.
A pair of made threes by the Tigers cut the Tops lead to two with 8:38 left in the first period. Following a timeout, Lander went on a 6-0 run capped by a converted and-one opportunity and extended the WKU lead to eight, 33-25.
Jackson forced a turnover and found Faye on the other end, stretching the lead to 12 with 6:56 left in the half. After the Tigers cut the margin to single digits off a pair of jumpers, WKU connected on three straight threes from Newman, Marshall, and Lander taking a 46-29 lead into the under-four media break.
With 1:56 remaining until halftime, Campbellsville recorded its first points since the 5:44 mark with a pair of foul shots. Enoch Kalambay's fourth made field goal of the night put the Tops at the 50-point mark with just over a minute left in the half, and WKU went into the locker room up, 52-33.
Marshall Jr. led the way for WKU in the first with 13 points off a perfect 3-3 clip from beyond the arc. Jackson managed four assists before the break.
Newman found Howard for a two-handed jam to open the second half. Newman connected on his second triple of the game two minutes into the second.Â
Marshall Jr. forced a turnover and found Faye for an easy lay-in following a timeout. Don McHenry then crashed the offensive glass and found an open lane to the basket with 13:41 left in the game, putting the Tops ahead by 13, 65-52.
Teagan Moore cashed in for his first points of the night with 11:32 remaining in the second, going high off the glass as WKU hit the 70-point mark, up 70-56
Lander hit a triple with 10:32 to play in the second and set a new career high of 15. With 9:12 left in the game Lander found Dontaie Allen for a wide open three, his first of the night, to give WKU a 20-point advantage, up 80-60.Â
The Tops then used a 10-2 run to take a 21-point lead with 5:04 in the game capped by another triple, this time from Newman.Â
Jack Edelen found Allen on the right wing for another three, putting the Tops over the century mark, up 101-75. The triple would serve as the finishing touch to the 101-77 win over Campbellsville.
The win snaps a two-game skid for the Red and White and improves the team to 5-3 on the year.
Hilltopper Basketball will host cross-state rival EKU for a commonwealth clash on Sunday, Dec. 3 at E.A. Diddle Arena. Tipoff is slated for 4 p.m. CT with ESPN+ set to broadcast.
Follow the team on social media (@wkubasketball) for the latest news and updates on all things Hilltopper Basketball. Visit wkusports.com for more information.Â
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