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The Hilltoppers enter the matchup with the Bulldogs standing at 11-7 overall with a 2-3 mark in Conference USA and coming off a 71-57 loss on the road at Middle Tennessee last Saturday. Don McHenry led the Tops' scoring effort charting 16 points along with four rebounds and a steal. Blaise Keita led in rebounding with a total of seven. Julius Thedford posted 10 points on 4-for-7 shooting from the field and 1-of-2 from beyond the arc, while Khristian Lander finished with nine points, five boards, a pair of assists and a steal.
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McHenry currently leads the Tops and charts as the sixth-leading scorer in CUSA with an average of 16.8 points per contest. The senior guard holds the fourth best free-throw mark in CUSA at .811% (60-of-74), while McHenry's 34 steals (1.9/G) are good for third most in the league.Â
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McHenry and the Hilltoppers prepare to face a LA Tech team that enters the game standing at 13-6 overall with a 2-4 mark in league play and is coming off a 78-76 road loss at Kennesaw State last time out. Daniel Batcho led the Bulldogs in scoring and rebounding with 23 points and seven boards, while Sean Newman Jr. posted a game-high seven assists along with 11 points and a 3-of-6 three-point clip.Â
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Newman Jr. currently leads CUSA and charts second in the nation in assists with a total of 177 (9.3/G) on the season. Batcho charts as the fourth-leading scorer in CUSA with 18.7 points per outing off the league's top field-goal percentage of .736%. The Bulldog big ranks sixth in the league in rebounding with 131 total (6.9/G) and leads CUSA in blocks with 42 total and 2.2 per game, good for 10th most in the nation.
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GAME INFO
WKU (11-7, 2-3 CUSA) vs. Louisiana Tech (13-6, 2-4 CUSA)
Thursday, Jan. 23 | 6 p.m. CT
Thomas Assembly Center | Ruston, La.
Watch: CBS Sports Network (Jordan Kent and Avery Johnson)
Listen: Hilltopper Sports Radio Network | 100.7-FM (WKLX)/Varsity Network (Hal Schmitt & Randy Lee)
Live Stats:Â StatBroadcast
Tickets: Purchase | WKUTickets.com | 1-800-5-BIG RED
Game Notes:Â Media Center
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ABOUT THE TOPS
- WKU currently averages 77.4 points per game
- WKU is currently fifth in the nation in adjusted tempo with an average of 73.4 possessions per 40 minutes
- WKU ranks tenth in the nation in defensive rebounding with 28.83 per contest
- The Tops rank 32nd in the nation in steals with 9.1 per contest and a total of 173 on the year
- WKU ranks 56th in the nation in FG% defense, limiting opponents to a .408% clip shooting from the field
- The Tops rank 117th in the nation in fastbreak points with 11.61 per game
- Don McHenry leads the Hilltoppers and ranks sixth in CUSA for scoring with 16.8 points per contest; McHenry's 34 steals (1.9/G) are third most in CUSA and 75th most in the nation
- McHenry holds the conference's ninth-best FG% (min # attempts) at .394%
- McHenry touts the fourth best free-throw percentage in CUSA with a .811% (60-of-74) mark from the stripe; the senior guard also holds a .310% shooting clip from three-point range off the most attempts and most made threes on the team (35-of-113)
- McHenry's 35 made three-pointers ranks 10th in CUSA
- Tyrone Marshall Jr. leads WKU and charts fourth in CUSA in defensive rebounding with 99 (5.5/G) on the year, good for 93rd most in the nation; the graduate forward also leads the team and charts tenth in the league in total rebounds with 115 (6.4/G) on the year
- Marshall Jr. charts second on the team and 17th in CUSA in total blocks with 11 on the year
- Leeroy Odiahi leads WKU and ranks 14th in CUSA in total blocks with 14 on the year
- Freshman Julius Thedford ranks second on the team and 15th in CUSA in scoring with 12.4 points per game and a total of 223 on the year
- Thedford ranks 17th in CUSA in made threes with 30 on the year
- Jalen Jackson leads the team and ranks 18th in CUSA in assists with a total of 39 (2.2/G) on the year
SERIES INFORMATION
Thursday will mark the 45th meeting between WKU and LA Tech in a series dating back to 1928, with the programs standing at an even 22-22 record all-time. The Hilltoppers previously posted a split in competition with the Bulldogs in 2023-24, securing an 81-76 victory on the road in Ruston on Feb. 7, then falling to the Bulldogs at home, 90-84, on Feb. 28 in Diddle Arena. WKU holds a 13-7 all-time advantage over LA Tech at home in Diddle Arena, while trailing the Bulldogs with a 7-11 record on the road in Thomas Assembly Center and 2-4 record when competing in neutral settings. The teams' first-ever meeting came on March 1, 1928, with WKU falling short facing the Bulldogs, 40-33, at the SIAA Tournament in Chattanooga, Tenn.
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SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
- Daniel Batcho charts as the fourth-leading scorer in CUSA with 18.7 points per outing off the league's top field-goal percentage (.736%)
- Batcho leads CUSA and ranks 10th in the nation in blocks with 42 total and 2.2 per game
- Batcho currently ranks sixth in the league in rebounding with 131 total (6.9/G) and second in the league in offensive rebounds with 55 total for the year
- Sean Newman Jr. currently leads CUSA and charts second in the nation in assists with a total of 177 (9.3/G) on the season
- Amaree Abram charts fourth in CUSA for steals with 34 total and 1.8 per contestÂ
- Abram charts as the Bulldogs' second-leading scorer with 12.7 points per contest, good for 14th most in CUSAÂ
- LA Tech holds the second-highest team FG percentage in CUSA at .484%
- The Bulldogs' team free-throw percentage of .752% ranks as the second highest in the leagueÂ
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.
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