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Khristian Lander led the Tops in scoring with 19 points off a 5-for-7 mark shooting from beyond the arc. Don McHenry added 18 points along with a game-high four steals in the effort, while Tyrone Marshall Jr. and Babacar Faye each totaled a game-high six rebounds and rounded out the Tops' scoring contributors to reach double figures with 12 points and 11 points respectively.Â
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As a team, WKU forced the Tigers into 21 turnovers, cashing in for 28 points off the miscues.
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HOW IT HAPPENED
Lander found McHenry for a three in front of the Tiger bench a minute into the game to open scoring. Marshall Jr. collected a block and Lander took one through traffic on the other end, connecting on the driving layup to push the Hilltopper lead to 7-0 and force TSU to take a timeout with 17:26 remaining in the first. Lander knocked down WKU's second triple and McHenry poked one away in the halfcourt for the easy transition two, extending WKU's lead to 10-2.Â
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Julius Thedford grabbed WKU's fourth steal and found Enoch Kalambay for the triple to go ahead by 13, 19-6, with 13:03 until the half. The three marked the first bench points of the night for WKU. Kalambay then forced another Tiger turnover and found Jalen Jackson for the layup to push the Hilltopper lead to 17, 25-8, with 11:30 left in the period.Â
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Leading 31-14, the Hilltoppers forced the Tigers into their second shot clock violation and their 10th overall turnover with 6:34 until the break. After a foul, WKU knocked away the inbounds pass and Lander went to the rack, trailed by Marshall Jr. who finished with a layup and his second field goal of the night. With 5:31 in the period, TSU connected on its first three cutting the Hilltopper lead to 33-17. McHenry became the first Hilltopper to reach double figures with a drive to the basket for the hoop and harm. Following the made free throw, WKU held a 19-point edge over TSU with five minutes until the break.
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A 2:31 scoreless drought combined with an 8-0 Tiger run cut WKU's lead down to 11. Faye snapped the drought on a jumper with 2:36 left in the half. The Tigers then cut the lead to single digits, 38-29, forcing WKU into a timeout with 1:46 until the half. Faye got fouled on a baseline out of bounds play with 2.8 seconds left in the period. The Hilltopper big connected on both for the final points of the half and WKU entered the break leading, 44-31.
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Marshall Jr. hit a pair of free throws to open scoring in the second period. The Hilltoppers then followed that with a pair of made threes on the team's next two offensive possessions to extend WKU's lead to 19, 52-33, with 18:08 remaining in regulation. Forcing a Tiger turnover, McHenry connected with Marshall Jr. for the jam to give WKU its largest lead of the game of 21. On the very next play, Lander secured a rebound and fed Faye for the layup and foul at the first media break, leading 58-35, with 15:36 to play.
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With 13:39 left, Kalambay found Lander for his third made three to push the Hilltopper lead to 24, 61-37. The assist marked the 10th of the game for WKU. After Lander connected on another three off a step-back jumper, he later found Kalambay beyond the arc to extend WKU's lead to 27, 67-40, with 11:54 left in the game.Â
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McHenry connected on his seventh field goal and third from distance to push WKU's lead to 73-48 with 9:16 left to play in regulation. The Tops maintained the 25-point lead heading into the under eight timeout, up 75-50, with 7:53 remaining.
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Kalambay connected with Lander for his fifth three of the night with 1:40 remaining. WKU would hold TSU without a field goal for the remainder of the game, capping an 84-60 win over the Tigers and earning a sixth victory on the year.
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NOTABLES
- WKU used the lineup of Bayless, McHenry, Lander, Faye and Marshall Jr. for the second consecutive game. The group is now 2-0 on the year.
- The Hilltoppers are now a perfect 10-0 all time against Tennessee State. The win also marks the sixth time in the series that WKU has scored 80-or-more points in a game.Â
- Lander led WKU in scoring for the third time this season, posting 19 points along with a team-best four assists and three rebounds.
- McHenry added 18 points, marking his sixth game this season in double figures. The senior added a team-best four steals which pushes him to 19 for the season, fourth most in CUSA.
- As a team, the Tops managed a .475% clip from the field (29-of-61). WKU has now managed a field goal percentage of .450% or greater in four games this season.
- The Hilltoppers grabbed 29 boards on the defensive end. WKU has collected at least 28 defensive rebounds in all nine games this season.
- WKU has now scored 80-or-more points in five games. The win also marks the first time this season the Tops have held their opponent to 60 or fewer points.
- The Tops held the Tigers to zero fastbreak points, the first time WKU has held its opponent scoreless in the category. WKU has now held its opponent to five or fewer fastbreak points on five occasions.
- The Hilltoppers forced the Tigers into 21 turnovers which marks the most this season and the most since last season when the team forced 23 in a win against Bowling Green (11/24/23).
- WKU managed 28 points off turnovers, a season best for the Hilltoppers.
QUOTABLE
"Between the Evansville game and the Tennessee State game, our approach and our focus were both very good and it showed early in the game tonight as we got off to a great start," head coach Hank Plona said.
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"We had a great focus and togetherness on how we played on both ends of the floor – very pleased to come out of here with a win," Plona added.
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NEXT UP
WKU continues its four-game home stretch with a matchup hosting historic rival Murray State on Saturday, Dec. 14 in Diddle Arena. Tipoff is slated for 1 p.m. CT with ESPN+ set to broadcast the event live.
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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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