 Â
HOW IT HAPPENED
Braxton Bayless opened scoring for the Tops on Sunday with a made turnaround jumper at the 18:47 mark of the first half. Michigan followed with a nine-point scoring run to bring the count to 13-2 in the Wolverines' favor with 17:19 to play in the half.Â
Â
After trading buckets, WKU battled back as Don McHenry cut the Tops' deficit to just four, 18-14, with 14:38 to play in the first.
Â
Efficient three-point shooting by Michigan would stretch the Wolverines' lead to 28 entering the half and WKU went into the break trailing, 59-31. Michigan connected on 8-of-19 attempts from beyond the arc while limiting the Tops to just 2-of-12 in the first half.
Â
Strong shooting continued for the Wolverines entering the second half as WKU fell behind by 36, 75-39, with 14:55 remaining in regulation. Enoch Kalambay and Julius Thedford helped WKU cut away at the Wolverines' lead combining for the next seven points, but Michigan continued to match the Tops' scoring output, eventually taking a 50-point, 102-52 lead with 6:05 left in the game.
Â
McHenry reached 18 points following a made layup with 3:52 remaining. A Jack Edelen three-pointer and a pair of made free throws by Jaylen Dorsey wrapped scoring for the Tops, and WKU fell to Michigan by a final count of 112-64.
Â
NOTABLES
- WKU utilized the starting lineup of Bayless, McHenry, Thedford, Kalambay and Marshall Jr. for the third consecutive game. The group is now 2-1 on the year.
- McHenry led the Tops' scoring effort with 18 points along with four rebounds, two steals and an assistÂ
- Tyrone Marshall Jr. and Thedford led the Tops in rebounding with five each; Thedford finished second on the team in scoring with 11 points and posted a team-high two blocks
- McHenry, Bayless and Jalen Jackson all accounted for a team-best two steals
- Kalambay rounded out the Tops to reach double figures on Sunday, scoring 10 points off 4-for-10 shooting from the field Â
- WKU was limited to a .200% shooting clip from beyond the arc compared to Michigan's .475%
- The Tops were limited to just 11 points from its bench compared to the Wolverines' 43
- Both teams charted 21 points off turnovers; WKU accounted for eight second-chance points to Michigan's 17, seven points off fastbreaks to Michigan's 13 and 26 points in the paint to Michigan's 28
NEXT UP
WKU opens conference play on the road at Liberty on Thursday, Jan. 2. Tipoff from Liberty Arena in Lynchburg, Va. is slated for 6 p.m. CT and will be nationally televised live on CBS Sports Network.
Â
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.
Â
Â
