BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – WKU Hilltopper Basketball never trailed in its wire-to-wire, 76-66 victory over the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs on Thursday night in E.A. Diddle Arena.
"I thought Louisiana Tech shot the ball really well tonight," said head coach Rick Stansbury. "They made 13 3's, shot 33 at almost 40%, but we stayed pace. I think we made 10 of 19 for 52%. We got to the foul line, we shot 18, they shoot six. That's a big stat."
"First half, I thought we were really good both offensively and defensively and held them to 33% shooting the first half," he continued. "Second half, they made a few more plays around that rim… Overall it was a good team effort. (Khristian) Lander came off the bench, really added too. That's what we need from him, been waiting for that a little bit and he was really good."
The Hilltoppers jumped out to a 17-4 start by 13:17, holding Louisiana Tech to a 2 for 7 mark to start the game.
The Bulldogs closed the gap to five points with an 8-0 run between 12:00 and 9:36, but WKU quickly resized its lead to 25-15 with a 3-pointer from Khristian Lander and layup from Dontaie Allen.
Closing out the half, WKU (15-13, 7-10 C-USA) never allowed Louisiana Tech to make back-to-back shots. The Hilltoppers gained a lead as much as 13 in the final seconds of the period, making it a 41-29 ball game at the break.
WKU shot 50% from the floor and the 3-point line in the first half, keeping the Bulldogs at a 33.1% shooting clip and a 31.6% mark from beyond the arc.
The Hilltoppers kept the Bulldogs at bay for the start of the second half before Louisiana Tech (13-15, 6-11) went on a 7-1 run to cut what was a 60-50 WKU lead with 8:29 to go into a 61-57 WKU lead with 5:28 to go. In that same stretch, WKU went without a field goal, scoring a single point on a free throw from Jairus Hamilton.
Lander broke the drought by hitting a crucial 3-pointer at the 4:54 mark. WKU rattled off 10 straight points, nine of those off of 3's and six coming from Lander's hands. The Hilltoppers completed a 15-3 run between the 4:54 mark and the 1-minute warning to secure the win.
Dayvion McKnight led all scorers with 19 points on 7 of 10 shooting. He added four boards, three assists and three steals in 34 minutes.
Lander and Allen were crucial from the arc, combining for a 62% (8-of-13) at the 3-point line. Lander nailed three in the final five minutes of the game, hitting four in total and scoring 12 points in 18 minutes. Allen shot 50% from the floor and nailed four shots on seven 3-point attempts.
"Having Khristian and all the guys hitting shots on the perimeter freed up the lane for me, getting downhill, ball screens from Jamar," said McKnight on the team's performance. "So really just trying to get downhill, create for my teammates, and create for myself as well."
"[I'm] ready when my number is called," said Lander on his increased minutes against the Bulldogs. "I'm still putting in the work every single day so when I get the opportunity I'm going to take advantage of it."
Playing the most minutes of any Hilltopper, Jamarion Sharp pulled down 11 boards, with eight in the first half, and scored eight points. He also stole two balls in his 34 minutes and 11 seconds.
WKU will host its final home game of the 2022-23 season on Saturday evening while taking on the UAB Blazers. The game will tip at 7 p.m. CT and the Senior Night activities will commence at approximately 6:40 p.m. The contest will be televised on CBS Sports Network.
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