RIVERSIDE, Calif. – WKU Hilltopper Basketball secured its sixth consecutive win by defeating California Baptist, 73-70, on Tuesday night in CBU Events Center. The Hilltoppers improve to 10-3 on the season with the win over the Lancers.
The 10-3 start to the season matches the best 13-game start for the Hilltoppers since the 2004-05 season.
Dontaie Allen led the Tops in scoring with 17 points to go with four rebounds, one assist, one block and a steal. Don McHenry led in assists with four while totaling 14 points and three rebounds.
Brandon Newman led the team in rebounds with a total of 12 while charting seven points, three assists and a block.
Tuesday's matchup with Cal Baptist saw a fast start for the Hilltoppers, as the team jumped out to a 19-7 lead at the 12:53 mark in the first half following an emphatic slam by Enoch Kalambay off a fast break from a turnover. A pair of made threes by Allen pushed the WKU lead to 15, 29-14, at the under-eight media timeout.
WKU continued its offensive success throughout the first period, leading by as many as 20 points on two separate occasions. A strong dunk by Allen in the face of a defender gave the team its second 20-point lead at the 6:11 mark, igniting the Hilltopper bench and adding to the team's growing momentum.
WKU entered the half up, 42-28.
The second half saw the Hilltoppers maintain a double-digit lead for the first nine minutes of play. Tyrone Marshall Jr. led the Tops in the scoring column in the second, scoring seven of his nine total points.
The Lancers battled back and slowly cut away at the Hilltopper lead, eventually cutting the Cal Baptist deficit to five, 73-68, with just over a minute remaining in regulation. A two-point layup by CBU brought the count to 73-70 with 54 seconds to play.
The Tops bowed up on defense for the final seconds of regulation, forcing the Lancers into one last three-point attempt with five seconds on the clock. The attempt was no good, and WKU edged out the victory over Cal Baptist, 73-70, to earn its 10th win of the year.
Tuesday's outing saw the Hilltoppers lead through 37:26 minutes of play and never fall behind in the count. WKU limited CBU to a 17.4% mark from three-point range, and the Hilltopper bench accounted for 30 points to the Lancers' two.
The Hilltoppers will return home and close out non-conference competition hosting Abilene Christian on Saturday, Dec. 30 at 2 p.m. CT. ESPN+ will broadcast the event live from E.A. Diddle Arena.
Follow the team on social media (@wkubasketball) for the latest news and updates on all things Hilltopper Basketball. Visit wkusports.com for more information.
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