Don McHenry once again led the way for the Tops in the scoring column, notching 28 points off 9-for-12 from the field with a 4-of-5 shooting clip from beyond the arc and a perfect 6-of-6 mark from the charity stripe. The senior guard scored 19 points in the second half and added three rebounds and a pair of assists in 34 minutes of action.
McHenry's 28-point performance on Tuesday follows a season-high 29-point effort in an overtime win over Murray State last Saturday. The Milwaukee native has now charted 20-plus points in five games this season and double figures scoring in eight of the Hilltoppers' 11 games on the year.
Braxton Bayless finished with a season-high 13 points and led the team in rebounds with eight, matching a career best. Enoch Kalambay collected a team-high five assists while posting 12 points and seven rebounds, and freshman Julius Thedford rounded out the Tops to reach double figures in scoring with a total of 15 points and seven rebounds.
As a team, WKU shot the ball at a .592% clip, marking a season high. The Tops connected on 29-of-49 total shots, marking the team's most efficient game from the field since January of last season. WKU also shot the three ball at a .600-percent clip, connecting on 12-of-20 from deep as a collective. WKU has now connected on 12-or-more threes in three games this season.
HOW IT HAPPENED
McHenry found Kalambay for a triple to give WKU a 3-2 lead a minute into the game. After a 4:12 scoreless drought, McHenry connected on an and one layup to cut the margin, 8-5, with 14:58 left in the half.
Out of the break, McHenry connected on the free throw to make it a two-point game, 8-6. After the Redhawks regained a four-point lead, Jalen Jackson found McHenry for a triple to bring the Tops to within one, trailing 10-9. Kalambay connected at the free-throw line to tie the game at 10-all with 12:56 until the halftime break, then found a cutting Thedford on the baseline for a jam to give WKU its first lead since the first minute of the game, 12-10, at the under-12 media break.
Late in the shot clock, McHenry knocked down a tightly contested three. WKU then got a stop and Thedford fed Odiahi on the other end to push the lead out to 17-12 in favor of the Tops with 10:27 remaining in the half. Getting a steal in the halfcourt, WKU extended its lead with another Kalambay long ball, pushing the lead to eight, 22-14, with 9:05 until the break.
The Redhawks cut the lead to five, but quick ball movement by WKU found an open Thedford for a corner three. Adding to the three-point barrage, WKU would then connect on back-to-back from deep by Kalambay and Marshall Jr. to extend the lead to 14, a margin the Tops would hold at the final media timeout of the half, up 36-22, with 3:24 left in the period.
Seattle managed to cut into the Hilltopper lead in the final four minutes of the first half, and WKU entered halftime with a six-point, 38-32 lead.
McHenry opened scoring in the second half, knocking down a pair from the charity stripe in the early goings. Up seven, Kalambay found a driving Thedford who connected on the reversal, getting fouled and converting at the stripe to push the Hilltopper lead back out to double digits, 45-35, with 17:43 remaining.
After the Redhawks cut the WKU lead down to two, McHenry was fouled on his way up, connecting on the shot and free throw to push WKU's lead back out to five. Leeroy Odiahi collected a block which led to a McHenry three off an assist from Thedford in transition to extend the Hilltopper lead to 54-46 and force the Redhawks into another timeout with 13:21 left in the game.
Out of the timeout, WKU forced a shot clock violation. McHenry then rolled off the next six points to extend his scoring run to 12-straight and give WKU a 60-46 lead with 11:26 left to play. The 3:11, 12-0 Hilltopper run was all credited to McHenry who pushed his point total to 23 with the surge.
Seattle connected on a free throw, but the Tops answered with a Jack Edelen three to extend the WKU lead to 17 halfway through the second half. After a miss on the front end of a Jackson one-and-one, Bayless came down with the rebound and laid it in to give WKU a 68-55 lead with 7:45 left to play.
The Redhawks managed to cut the WKU lead down to eight, but a driving Thedford put the Tops back up 10, 74-64, with 5:36 remaining. Sharp shooting from Seattle again cut the Tops' lead to six, but McHenry answered with a step-back three from the wing, his fourth of the night, to give WKU a 79-70 lead with 3:59 left in the game.
Late in the shot clock, Bayless pushed his point total and the lead to double figures with a made jumper. The Tops managed another defensive stand and followed that up with efficient ball movement, as Bayless dished to Odiahi for the slam to go up 83-70 with less than two minutes remaining in regulation.
The Hilltoppers would hold the Redhawks without a field goal for the remainder of the game, securing the 86-73 victory to mark a fifth-straight win and improve to eight wins on the season.
NOTABLES
- WKU used the lineup of Bayless, McHenry, Thedford, Kalambay and Marshall Jr. for the first time this season. The group is now 1-0.
- WKU secures its first-ever win over Seattle and now holds a 1-0 all-time edge over the Redhawks.
- McHenry led WKU in the scoring column again with 28 points, one-point shy of his season-high 29-point performance against Murray State and two shy of his career-best of 30 points.
- Bayless managed a season-high 13 points, connecting on 5-for-9 from the field. Bayless was the second player to notch double figures in the second half, scoring 10 of his 13 points in the period. The graduate led the Tops on the boards, crashing eight and matching a career high.
- Thedford got his first career start for WKU in Tuesday's win. The freshman managed 15 points to go with seven rebounds and three blocks. His seven boards mark a career high for the Memphis native.
- As a team, the Hilltoppers shot the ball at a .592% clip, marking a season best and the best mark since WKU defeated FIU last season on Jan. 25 when the team shot the ball at a .650% clip.
- The Hilltoppers hit from beyond the arc at a .600% clip, connecting on 12-of-20. The last time WKU shot .600% or better from three-point range was in a win over Kentucky State on Nov. 12, 2022, when the team shot .655%
- WKU has now had three games this season with 12-or-more made threes. Last season the team only did so twice.
- WKU finished with a -4 turnover rate, committing 11 compared to Seattle's seven. The last time the Tops had a turnover margin of -4 or greater and won was Feb. 7, 2024, in an 81-76 road win over LA Tech. Despite the turnover rate, WKU managed 10 points off Seattle turnovers to the Redhawk's 11
- The Tops held Seattle to zero points off fast breaks while scoring 10 points of their own off fast breaks
- WKU limited the Redhawks to just .333% shooting from the field and a .242% shooting clip from three-point range. WKU has now held its opponents to a three-point percentage of less than .300% in seven of the team's 11 games this season
"Proud of the guys for getting a tough win after an emotional win on Saturday," head coach Hank Plona said. "I thought the guys handled the ups and downs of the game well and remained together. On the offensive end we were very efficient, shared the ball and shot at a very high percentage, and I think that's a sign of being very disciplined as a team."
On the team's maturity and ability to find a way to win no matter what it faces:
"I think that's a sign of a special team," Plona said. "Babacar and Khristian are elite players, and we missed them tonight, but that's not an excuse to not perform. We're going to always keep battling and be a resilient group."
Plona later added:
"As a coach, we want to reward toughness and resilience. That sort of thing is contagious, and I think is a strength."
NEXT UP
WKU wraps a four-game homestand hosting Kentucky Wesleyan on Saturday, Dec. 21. Tipoff from E.A. Diddle Arena in Bowling Green, Ky. is slated for 2 p.m. CT with ESPN+ set to broadcast the event live.
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.
