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Senior forward Babacar Faye posted a career night, charting 28 points and surpassing his previous game high of 15. Senior guard Don McHenry and freshman guard Julius Thedford also added double-figure point totals in the loss, tallying 21 and 11, respectively.
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How it Happened
WKU's first points of the season came 53 seconds into the game with a pair of Faye free throws. Trailing 15-13, Don McHenry connected on a three as he was fouled to pull WKU in front 17-15.
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WKU capitalized on an 8-2 run to take a 25-17 lead. McHenry, Faye and senior guard Enoch Kalambay contributed to the run. The two teams went back and forth with the Shockers cutting the Hilltopper lead down to just one with 2:51 left in the half.
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The Shockers ended the first half on an 8-0 run. The Shockers charted an 8-for-16 mark from three, while the Tops finished 3-for-14 in the first frame from deep.Â
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Faye scored the Hilltoppers' first six points of the second half before McHenry grabbed a rebound and knocked down another three to regain the lead, 47-46.
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The Tops broke 50 first as McHenry was fouled on his way up to the rack, connecting on the conventional three up 50-48. Faye managed an end around to tie the game at 52 heading into the under-16 media timeout.
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Out of the break, Wichita connected on its 10th three of the game to take a 55-54 lead. The Hilltoppers went on a 2:36 scoreless stretch allowing Wichita State to jump ahead by nine, the Shockers' largest lead of the game. Graduate transfer Braxton Bayless hit a free throw with 8:38 left to cut the deficit to eight and snap the drought. Thedford snapped a five-minute streak without a field goal with seven minutes and cut the margin to six with 5:20 to play, trailing 75-69. The Hilltoppers were able to pull within three points late in the second period before falling to the Shockers, 91-84.
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Notables
- Faye led the Hilltoppers with a career-high 28 points off 9-for-16 shooting from the field. The senior also charted eight rebounds, two blocks, an assist and a steal.
- McHenry connected on three of WKU's six three pointers in the game. The Hilltopper guard finished the night with 21 points and a team-best four assists.Â
- Niagara transfer Bayless had the second most rebounds on the team with seven. He added four assists tying McHenry for the team lead.
- Thedford was the third Hilltopper to chart double figures with 11 points and a 2-for-3 mark from beyond the arc. The Memphis native swatted a team best two blocks along with four rebounds in 13 minutes of action.
- Kalambay shot a perfect 4-for-4 at the charity stripe. He finished with nine points and one steal.
- WKU now trails 3-4 all-time when facing the Shockers in a series dating back to 1941. Wichita State has now won the last four matchups against the Hilltoppers.
- The Hilltoppers shot 70.6% from the line as a team (24-of-34). In the second half, the Tops managed just 11-of-18 (61.1%) at the charity stripe.
- WKU outrebounded the Shockers, grabbing 43 to Wichita's 42. The Tops finished with 14 offensive rebounds compared to the Shockers' 10.
- Monday's loss marks the first time WKU has allowed more than 90 points since Jan. 25 of last season in a 105-91 win over FIU.
Quotables
"Very tough challenge here, first night of the basketball season," head coach Hank Plona said. "Great crowd, awesome fanbase, disappointed that bottom line we couldn't get a win for having such great support. We wanted to do everything we could to come out with a win tonight, so I'm disappointed that the final result didn't show that."
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"There were some positives from tonight, but certainly we are playing the game this year to be a championship team, and we continue to have some work to do to get there," Plona said.Â
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On his career night and what his production means to the team: "It's a confidence builder," Faye said. "Coach Hank puts a lot of trust in me, the team puts a lot of trust in me, so I just go out on the floor and execute and play my best. I'm here to do everything I can to prepare for anything."
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Next Up
The Hilltoppers continue the 2024-25 slate with a trip to Grand Canyon on Saturday, Nov. 9. Tip-off from Phoenix is set for 7 p.m. CT with ESPN+ set to stream the matchup.
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For information on tickets for the 2024-25 season, visit wkusports.com/tickets or call the WKU Ticket Office at 1-800-5-BIGRED. Follow the team on social media (@wkubasketball) and visit wkusports.com for the latest news and updates on all things Hilltopper Basketball.
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