BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Hilltopper Basketball wrapped home competition for the 2023-24 season with a 90-84 loss to Louisiana Tech on Wednesday night in Diddle Arena. WKU falls to 19-9 overall and 8-6 in Conference USA league play with the loss.
The Hilltoppers' final home game of the season saw WKU host the Bulldogs for a blackout in front of 5,658 fans – the team's largest crowd of the year.
Teagan Moore led the way for the Tops in the scoring column with 22 points with four rebounds, a block and a steal. Khristain Lander followed with 14 points on a 5-for-11 shooting night from the field.
Babacar Faye found Dontaie Allen for a triple in front of the Bulldog bench to open scoring for the night. LA Tech answered with a three before a pullup jumper from Don McHenry put the Tops back in front, 5-3, a minute into the game.
Scoring slowed as WKU managed a one-point 9-8 lead at the first media timeout. The third Bulldog three of the game gave LA Tech an 11-9 lead with 15:44 left in the first. The Tops regained the lead, 14-13, off a Newman three assisted by Howard at the 14:27 mark in the first.
After LA Tech managed a 20-16 lead at the under-12 timeout, Lander hit from range to cut into the Bulldog lead, 21-19, and Allen connected on a pair at the free throw stripe to regain a lead for the Tops, 21-20, with 9:51 remaining in the first.
An 11-0 run by LA Tech put the Tops behind, 31-21, with 6:43 to go in the first. Down 10, a McHenry jumper snapped a three-minute scoreless streak and brought the count to 31-23.
A Bulldog rebound and drive to the lane plus one put LA tech ahead by 13 with 4:43 remaining in the first, before Allen's second three brought the deficit back to 10, 36-26. A steal by Enoch Kalambay finished off by Moore cut the margin to eight, 36-28, going into the final media break before the half.
Holding for the final shot of the first period, Brandon Newman connected on a three from the top of the key just before the horn to bring the count to 47-40 entering halftime.
Tyrone Marshall Jr. opened scoring in the second with a triple followed by a made free throw to cut the margin to just one possession, 47-44, less than a minute into the second half. Falling behind again by nine, a Lander three cut the margin back down to six, 62-56, with 12:20 in the game.
With under nine minutes left in regulation, the Bulldogs took a double-digit lead before WKU regained momentum with help from a three-pointer by McHenry and a pair of made free throws by Moore with 5:40 remaining. A driving layup by Lander off a fast break cut the margin to four, 76-72, and energized the Diddle Arena crowd.
Back-to-back empty possessions for LA Tech and 1-of-2 at the line by Lander made it a one possession game, 76-73, with 4:28 to play in regulation. Moore connected on two at the stripe to bring the count to 76-75 with under-four to play.
LA Tech snapped the 7-0 WKU run with a basket before Moore once again answered with a turnaround jumper in the paint to bring the count to 78-77 with 3:12 remaining.
With 1:37 left and the Tops trailing by five, Newman pulled up from the top of the key and hit from three to bring the Tops within two, 84-82. LA Tech converted on a pair of free throws to go ahead, 86-82, with 51 seconds to play in the game.
Another empty possession forced WKU to foul again, falling behind six with 32 seconds left. The Hilltoppers never managed to pull within four and the Bulldogs secured the win over WKU by a final count of 90-84.
Moore finished with a team-high 22 points off 6-for-12 shooting and 10-of-12 from the stripe. Faye led in rebounding with a total of eight, while Marshall led in assists with three.
WKU returns to action this Saturday, March 2 with a road battle against FIU. Tipoff from Ocean Bank Convocation Center in Miami, Fla. is slated for 6 p.m. CT with ESPN+ set to broadcast the event.
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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