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JACKSONVILLE, Ala. – WKU Hilltopper Basketball wrapped a 2-0 road swing with a 70-59 win over Jacksonville State in Pete Mathews Coliseum on Saturday night. The Hilltoppers improve to 17-7 overall and 6-4 in Conference USA league play with the second consecutive conference win on the road.
Saturday marked the fifth-ever meeting between WKU and Jax State. WKU previously defeated the Gamecocks this season at home on Jan. 13. Saturday's win moves the Tops' all-time record facing JSU to an unbeaten 5-0 in the series dating back to 1939.
Don McHenry led the Hilltoppers in scoring on Saturday night with 24 points off 9-for-18 shooting from the field and a perfect 4-of-4 mark from the charity stripe. Brandon Newman led in assists with five, while charting eight points, six rebounds and a steal. Babacar Faye led in rebounding with a total of 11 to go with six points, one assist and a block.
Tyrone Marshall Jr. charted a team-best three steals, while Rodney Howard led in blocks with two. Howard finished second in points and rebounds with eight in each category.
The Tops opened the night scoring with a three by Dontaie Allen off an assist by Newman just 26 seconds into play. The first half saw a tightly contested battle between the teams, as WKU and Jax State swapped leads a total of nine times.
The Hilltoppers entered the half trailing the Gamecocks by a point, 29-28.
A three by McHenry at the 17:22 mark of the second half would regain the lead for the Tops, 33-31. The teams traded leads just twice more before a pair of made free throws by Faye once again gave WKU a two-point lead. The Hilltoppers maintained the lead for the remainder of the outing.
A three by Newman stretched the Hilltopper lead to eight, 58-50, with 5:09 to play in regulation. A pair of made free throws by McHenry would push the Tops' lead into double digits, 64-53, with 1:53 remaining.
Two made free throws by Enoch Kalambay put a stamp on the Hilltoppers' 70-59 win over Jax State. The back-to-back conference road wins by WKU marks the first time this season a team in CUSA has won consecutive games on a road swing.
WKU returns home to Diddle Arena next week and will host UTEP on Thursday, Feb. 15 at 6 p.m. CT. The Tops' matchup against the Miners is set to be nationally televised on CBS Sports Network.
Follow the team on social media (@wkubasketball) for the latest news and updates on all things Hilltopper Basketball. Visit wkusports.com for more information.
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