| Game 23 vs. UTSA Thursday, February 2 | 7 p.m. CT | Bowling Green, Ky. Season presented by Med Center Health |
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| Records | WKU (11-11, 3-8 C-USA) • UTSA (7-16, 1-11 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 | ESPN+ Steve Schlanger (pxp) | Jay Walton (analysis) | Lexi Schweinert (sideline) |
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| Live Stats | WKU MBB Stats | ||||
| Tickets | WKU Tickets | ||||
| Game Notes | WKU Game Notes | ||||
| Most Recent Media | Coach Preview | Players Preview | ||||
| Social Media | @WKUBasketball  | @WKUBasketball  | Facebook  | YouTube  |
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BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — WKU Hilltopper Basketball is looking to start fresh in the month of February with a three-game homestand beginning on Thursday night with UTSA. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ and will tip at 7 p.m. CT.
WKU hopes to stop a five-game skid, most recently falling at #21 Florida Atlantic on Saturday, 70-63. UTSA has lost eight straight, starting with a loss to WKU on Jan. 7 and ending with a 66-55 loss to Louisiana Tech on Saturday.
WKU is 8-3 all-time against the Roadrunners including a 3-1 mark in Bowling Green. Head coach Rick Stansbury is 6-3 against UTSA in his career.
PROMOTIONS
- Black History Night: Black student organizations will be featured throughout the game in addition to a pregame social
- Big Red Rascals Night: Big Red Rascals members receive free admission
- Giveaway: Free Rick's Rowdies towels to the first 500 students
- Presented by UA Local 502
WKU VS. UTSA SERIES BREAKDOWN
Overall History: WKU leads 8-3
Series Record in Bowling Green: WKU leads 3-1
Last Meeting: WKU 74, UTSA 64 | January 7, 2023 | San Antonio, Texas
WKU Hilltopper Basketball never trailed in its 74-64 victory over the UTSA Roadrunners. The Hilltoppers snapped a five-game losing streak and picked up their first Conference USA win of the season.
The Hilltoppers opened up the game on a 9-2 run. The Roadrunners displayed some fight, cutting WKU's lead to just 18-17 by the 8:37 mark. Following a 3-point play at that timestamp by Jacob Germany, the Tops would hold UTSA to just one bucket the rest of the period.
Jamarion Sharp kickstarted what would result in a 20-3 run for WKU to close out the half. Emmanuel Akot followed it up with a layup and a pair of free throws before Luke Frampton and Jairus Hamilton each sunk a 3-pointer.
By the end of the half, all five starters had contributed at least two points to the stellar run, creating a 38-20 lead at the break.
Out of halftime, UTSA scored first with back-to-back 3's. While that could've easily changed the momentum of the game, the Hilltoppers kept their cool, responding with a 11-4 run.
It was a back-and-forth half until UTSA's Josh Farmer scored six straight points over the course of three minutes. It contributed to a larger overall Roadrunner run of 11-4, cutting WKU's lead to 58-48 with just under eight minutes remaining.
The Tops once again had an answer with six points between Tyrone Marshall, Akot and Sharp. UTSA was able to come within six as the game approached the two-minute mark, but Akot shut down the Roadrunners with a major 3-pointer off the wing, icing the game.
Four Hilltoppers were in double figures in the points column. Akot led all scorers with 16 points, six boards and two assists. Sharp logged a double-double of 12 boards, 11 points and six blocks. Frampton hit six from the charity stripe, amounting to 12 total points with three assists, three steals and some key hustle plays. McKnight notched 15 points with eight boards, three assists and three steals.
WKU forced 17 Roadrunner turnovers, scoring 25 points off of said turnovers. The Tops also outrebounded UTSA 39-34 and logged 16 assists on 26 buckets.
John Buggs III led UTSA in scoring with 15 points.
TOP STORYLINES
- The Hilltoppers are entering a similar situation that they endured last January and February. In 2022, WKU had lost their last five games in January before winning their next seven in the month of February. WKU won seven games in 17 days for the first time since the 1994-95 season. It was the program's longest winning streak in league play since the 2014-15 season.
- On Tuesday, Luke Frampton underwent surgery to repair his right ACL that he tore less than three minutes into the game against Charlotte on Jan. 21. Frampton tore his left ACL just before beginning his freshman season at Davidson.
- On Jan. 26, head coach Rick Stansbury returned to the sidelines at FIU after being out nine games. Associate head coach Phil Cunningham has stepped in the interim as he did before in 2021.
- On Jan. 26 Jamarion Sharp was named to the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year watch list for the second year in a row.
- As of Tuesday, Jamarion Sharp leads the country in total blocks (85) and blocks per game (4.1). His 84 blocks are more than what 74% of Division I programs have logged as a team. His average of 4.1 blocks/game is more than what 75% of Division I teams are averaging.
- In just 50 games as a Hilltopper, Jamarion Sharp broke the program record for blocks in a career, previously held by Jeremy Evans.
- In the last two seasons, Dayvion McKnight has started in all 54 of WKU's contests, scoring at least 10 points in 48 of those.
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.
