RUSTON, La. – WKU Hilltopper Basketball secured an 81-76 road win over Conference USA leader Louisiana Tech on Wednesday night in Thomas Assembly Center. The victory marks the first win for WKU in Ruston since 1998 and serves as the first win by a visiting opponent at Thomas Assembly Center this season.
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WKU improves to 16-7 overall and 5-4 in conference play with the win. The Hilltoppers take a one-game advantage over LA Tech in the all-time series dating back to 1928 and now lead 22-21 in head-to-head matchups against the Bulldogs.
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After falling behind by as many as 12 early in the first period, the Hilltoppers found a rhythm offensively and managed to cut the Bulldogs' lead to just one, 33-32, with 3:04 to play in the half following a pair of made three-pointers by Teagan Moore and Enoch Kalambay. Kalambay followed with a two-point layup in the paint a minute later to give WKU its first lead in the game since the 18:10 mark.Â
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Moore connected on a layup to push the WKU lead to three, 36-31, with 1:33 remaining in the first period. Rodney Howard capitalized on back-to-back trips to the charity stripe, giving the Hilltoppers a five-point lead with eight seconds left in the half.Â
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A last-second layup at the buzzer by the Bulldogs made it a 40-37 count as the teams entered halftime.
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Babacar Faye notched a steal a minute into the second period and dished to Tyrone Marshall Jr. for a one-hand slam to give WKU a five-point lead. The dunk by Marshall ignited the Hilltopper bench and served as a boost in momentum for the Hilltoppers.Â
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Don McHenry followed with a made jumper outside the paint to push the Tops' lead to seven, then a pair of free throws off a drawn foul to give WKU a nine-point lead, 46-37, three minutes into the second half. A three-pointer by Brandon Newman would push the Tops' lead into double digits, 53-43, at the 15:21 mark of the second.
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LA Tech battled back and managed to cut the Hilltopper lead to just one, 53-52, with 12:23 left in regulation. The teams traded leads for the next six minutes of play, with the second half seeing a total of six lead changes.Â
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A steal and dunk in transition by Marshall would reclaim the lead for the Tops with 6:41 to play in regulation. The Bulldogs responded with a made bucket to even the count at 64-apiece, before a jumper by McHenry once again gave WKU a two-point lead, 66-64, a minute later.
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Marshall collected a second steal and fed it to Faye for a layup to give WKU a four-point lead, 68-64, with 5:24 to play. Howard converted on a three-point play moments later to give the Tops a seven-point cushion with just under five minutes remaining in regulation.
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WKU bowed up on defense for the remainder of the outing and converted on 8-of-11 free throws to preserve its lead and secure the 81-76 road win over LA Tech.Â
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McHenry finished with a team-high 20 points off 7-for-13 shooting from the field with six rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks. Faye led in rebounds with a total of eight.Â
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Howard charted 18 points and six rebounds, while Marshall and Newman each accounted for 11 points and four rebounds. Marshall finished with two blocks and two steals.
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WKU continues its road trip with a matchup against Jax State on Saturday, Feb. 10. Tipoff from Pete Mathews Coliseum in Jacksonville, Ala. is slated for 4 p.m. CT with the game set to stream live on ESPN+.
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Follow the team on social media (@wkubasketball) for the latest news and updates on all things Hilltopper Basketball. Visit wkusports.com for more information.Â
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