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| Game 30 at UTEP Thursday, March 2 | 8 p.m. CT | El Paso, Texas Season presented by Med Center Health |
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| Records | WKU (15-14, 7-11 C-USA) • UTEP (13-16, 6-12 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+ Erik Elken (pxp), Hooper Vint (analysis) |
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| Live Stats | UTEP MBB Stats | ||||
| Tickets | UTEP Tickets | ||||
| Game Notes | WKU Game Notes | UTEP Game Notes | ||||
| Most Recent Media | N/A | ||||
| Social Media | @WKUBasketball  | @WKUBasketball  | Facebook  | YouTube  |
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BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — Ending the regular season on the road, WKU Hilltopper Basketball is set to play the UTEP Miners on Thursday night. The 8 p.m. CT game will be streamed on ESPN+. This is the first time the teams have met in El Paso since 2020.
Both teams are coming off a loss as the Hilltoppers fell to UAB 72-60 on Saturday and the Miners lost at Florida Atlantic 75-49. WKU and UTEP met nearly a month ago and the Tops came out victorious, 74-69.
WKU leads the all-time series over UTEP 7-1, dropping a single game to the Miners in El Paso in 2016. Head coach Rick Stansbury is an undefeated 5-0 against UTEP.
WKU VS. UTEP SERIES BREAKDOWN
Overall History: WKU leads 7-1
Series Record in El Paso: WKU leads 2-1
Last Meeting: WKU 74, UTEP 69 | February 4, 2023 | Bowling Green, Ky.
After WKU honored the late, great Dwight Smith with a jersey retirement at halftime, WKU Hilltopper Basketball stepped up in the second half to take down the UTEP Miners, 74-69.
After the first bucket, UTEP led the entire first half. The Hilltoppers had a sluggish start to the game, getting down 16-6 to the Miners by the 13-minute mark.
WKU battled back over the next five minutes, cutting into the UTEP lead and making the deficit just 21-19 with 7:17 on the clock.
The Miners responded with another tough 8-2 run to extend their lead back to eight points.
WKU's Dontaie Allen took control of the final 90 seconds of the game, scoring the Hilltoppers' final seven points. A late foul plus an and-one completion by UTEP led to a 37-33 score in favor of the Miners entering halftime.
UTEP has shot 26.8% on the year from 3 entering this afternoon but shot 60% (6-10) from long range in the first half.
The Hilltoppers opened up the second half on an absolute tear, turning a four-point deficit into nine-point lead in a matter of seven and a half minutes. WKU used a 16-3 run to take a 51-42 lead with 12:26 minutes left.
WKU's coaching staff opted to maintain momentum, not subbing any second-half starters out of the game until 8:26 was left in the game.
While the Hilltoppers did not make any field goals in the final four minutes of the game, the Miners tried to capitalize on WKU's lack of shots with a 6-0 run to close it to five.
Dayvion McKnight and Jordan Rawls were able to draw multiple fouls, making up for the field goal deficit with seven made free throws.
The Miners were limited to 21.4% shooting from the 3-point line, making only three in the second half. WKU outrebounded UTEP 39-35 and held the Miners to just 26 points in the paint.
All scorers were paced by WKU's Allen who had a career-high 25 along with seven boards and a teal. He went 5 of 8 from the arc and 8 of 15 from the field.
McKnight scored 14 and had four assists, working through a toe injury he sustained on Thursday night. Emmanuel Akot rounded out the trio of double-figure scoring with 13 points on 6 of 11 shooting.
Jamarion Sharp had more blocks and boards than anyone on the court with six and 11, respectively.
Shamar Givance led the Miners in scoring with 18 points, netting 5 of 6 from long range. He added six boards, three assists and two steals.
TOP STORYLINES
- Junior Dayvion McKnight is the only player in the country to have two games this season of at least 32 points, three assists, four rebounds and two steals.
- In his first six starts, Dontaie Allen made 24 3's on 48 attempts, shooting 50% from the arc and averaging 18.7 points per game.
- Luke Frampton underwent surgery to repair his right ACL on Jan. 31. He tore that ACL less than three minutes into the game against Charlotte on Jan. 21, ending his collegiate career.
- As of Wednesday, Jamarion Sharp leads the country in total blocks (121) and blocks per game (4.3). His average of 4.3 blocks/game is more than what 86% of Division I teams are averaging. His 121 blocks are more than what 82% of Division I programs have logged as a team.
- On Jan. 26, Jamarion Sharp was named to the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year watch list for the second year in a row.
- 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 61 of WKU's contests, scoring at least 10 points in 53 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.
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