BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – WKU Hilltopper Basketball secured its third conference victory of the 2023-24 season with an 80-69 win over CUSA newcomer Jax State on Saturday night in Diddle Arena. Brandon Newman led the Tops in scoring with a season-high 25 points to go with four rebounds, four assists and three steals.
The win over the Gamecocks improves the Hilltoppers' record to 13-4 overall and 2-1 in conference play. WKU now boasts an unbeaten 8-0 record at home this season, the best start at home for the Tops since the 2008-09 season.
Saturday marked the fourth all-time meeting between WKU and Jax State in the Gamecocks' inaugural season as a member of the CUSA.
The Hilltoppers charted the first points of the outing as Babacar Faye capitalized on a second-chance slam in the paint to put WKU ahead, 2-0, in the first minute of play. Tyrone Marshall Jr. followed it up with a triple a minute later to give the Tops an early 5-0 advantage.
Newman intercepted an errant Jax State pass then pulled up and hit from three off a fast break to put WKU ahead, 8-0, less than three minutes into regulation.
Jax State connected on its first basket of the evening at the 16:14 mark. McHenry followed with a converted mid-range jumper to give WKU a 10-3 lead with 15:24 to play in the first half.
Khristian Lander found Newman at the right wing for the guard's second three of the night, and WKU went into the first media timeout up, 13-6.
Lander went coast-to-coast for a lay-in, then Rodney Howard connected on a second-chance hook shot in the paint to give the Hilltoppers a 17-8 advantage.
The Gamecocks evened the count, 17-17, following a 9-0 run with 10:38 remaining in the first period. Jax State took its first lead of the evening off a three-pointer to go up, 22-21, with 8:40 left in the half.
After the teams swapped leads for the next four minutes of play, the Tops were held without a field goal for nearly three minutes as Jax State pushed its lead to nine with under a minute left in the half.
WKU entered the half trailing Jax State, 35-43.
Returning for the second period of play, the Hilltoppers quickly cut away at the Gamecocks' lead as Newman and Lander combined for six points in the span of less than a minute. A three-pointer by McHenry moments later cut the Jax State lead to one at the 17:31 mark.
Newman converted on a three with 16:57 remaining to reclaim the lead for WKU and ignite the Diddle Arena crowd.
After once again trading leads, Lander found Newman on the break for a driving lay-in, putting the Tops up, 52-50, with 12:39 to play. Dontaie Allen later connected on a three in the left corner to give the Tops a four-point advantage.
McHenry hit from three to put the Tops up, 58-53, just under halfway through the second. The junior guard connected on another triple a minute later to push the WKU lead to seven, 63-56.
The Tops maintained momentum for the remainder of the second period. Holding the Gamecocks scoreless for nearly three minutes, McHenry found his way to the rim to put the Tops up by a dozen with 90 seconds to play in regulation.
The Hilltoppers held off the Gamecocks for the final minute securing an 11-point, 80-69 victory.
WKU continues its conference campaign next week with a road matchup against New Mexico State on Thursday, Jan. 18. Tipoff is slated for 8 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.
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