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Hilltopper Basketball enters Saturday's outing against the Thundering Herd with a 3-3 overall record on the year and coming off an 87-68 loss on the road at No. 8 Kentucky in Lexington on Tuesday.
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GAME INFO
WKU (3-3) vs. Marshall (4-2)
Saturday, Nov. 30 | 7 p.m. CT
E.A. Diddle Arena | Bowling Green, Ky.
Watch:Â ESPN+Â (Barry Gresham & Caylan Arnold)
Listen: Hilltopper Sports Radio Network | 100.7-FM (WKLX)/Varsity Network (Randy Lee, Hal Schmitt)
Live Stats: Sidearm Stats // StatBroadcast
Tickets: WKUTickets.com | 1-800-5-BIG RED
Game Notes: WKU | MU
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ABOUT THE TOPS
- Senior Don McHenry currently charts as the Hilltoppers' leading scorer at 15.8 PPG and has averaged 1.8 assists per game, good for second-most on the team; the Hilltopper guard currently charts as the sixth-leading scorer in CUSA and holds the 11th-highest shooting clip in CUSA at .402%
- McHenry has finished with 20+ points in three of the Tops' six games this season, recording a team-high 23 points on the road at Grand Canyon and 21 points in the team's season opener against Wichita State and Lipscomb on Nov. 17
- Babacar Faye led the Tops in scoring in the team's season opener against Wichita State, charting a career-best 28 points with 8 rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block; Faye is currently the Tops' second-leading scorer and ranks eighth in CUSA for scoring with 15.2 points per outing
- Faye leads WKU in rebounding and blocks, pulling down 7.8 rebounds per outing and a total of six blocks on the year; the Hilltopper big currently charts sixth in CUSA for reboundingÂ
- Freshman Julius Thedford's 18 points against Kentucky on Tuesday marked a season high for the Memphis native; Thedford is currently the team's third-leading scorer averaging 12.5 points per game and leads the team in three-point percentage (min 5 attempts) with a .464% clip from range.
- As a team, the Tops held Kentucky to a 27.6% clip from beyond the arc on Tuesday – the Wildcats' lowest percentage of the season to-date; Kentucky's 87 points marked the second fewest for the team this season
- The Tops rank second in CUSA in steals with 9.17 per contest; McHenry leads the team and charts fifth in the league for steals with 1.8 per contest
- Tyrone Marshall Jr. currently ranks sixth in CUSA for defensive rebounding with a total of 36 on the year; Marshall's average of 6.7 rebounds per outing is good for 10th in the league overall
- The Hilltoppers rank fourth in CUSA in made three-pointers with an average of 8.8 per game
- Jalen Jackson leads the Tops in assists with 2.5 per game
- WKU ranks 16th in the nation in adjusted tempo with an average of 73.2 possessions per 40 minutes
SERIES INFORMATION
WKU would secure an eighth straight win over the Herd with a win on Saturday night. The Tops hold a 22-12 all-time advantage over Marshall in a series dating back to Jan. 15, 1944. WKU won the first-ever meeting between the programs, 39-36, in Huntington.Â
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Saturday will mark the first time the teams have faced off since March 5, 2022, in the Herd's final season competing in CUSA. The Tops posted a 78-69 win over Marshall in Diddle Arena.
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SCOUTING THE HERD
- Marshall enters Saturday's game with a 4-2 record coming off an 82-53 home win over South Carolina State on Wednesday
- Senior forward Nate Martin leads the Herd in scoring with an average of 15.3 points per outing off a .714% shooting clip; Martin also leads the team in rebounding, pulling down 9.5 per contestÂ
- Martin and fifth-year teammate Obinna Anochili-Killen each received preseason All-Sun Belt honors entering 2024-25, with Martin named as a first-team All-SBC selection and Anochili-Killen named second-team All-SBC
- Marshall was picked to finish 10th in the Sun Belt Conference Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll
AT THE GAME
Saturday will serve as Big Red's 45th birthday celebration. A photo op with Big Red and friends will be available to fans prior to the start of the game on the second-floor concourse in the Kid's Corner.
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Follow the team on social media (@wkubasketball) and visit wkusports.com for the latest news and updates on all things Hilltopper Basketball as the team continues its 2024-25 campaign.
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