Don McHenry led all scorers with 20 points off 6-for-17 shooting from the field with a perfect 6-of-6 mark at the stripe. Braxton Bayless followed in the scoring column with 16 points off 6-for-9 from the field and a 2-of-3 clip from beyond the arch with five rebounds, a team-best four assists and a pair of steals. Enoch Kalambay and Blaise Keita led the team in rebounding with seven boards each, with Kalambay adding 13 points off 3-for-6 from the field and a 2-of-3 clip from three-point range, two assists and two steals. Khristian Lander rounded out the Tops to reach double figures scoring with 10 points while adding four boards, two assists and a steal.
HOW IT HAPPENED
WKU won the jump ball and took an early 1-0 lead with a made free throw by Kalambay. After a 5-0 run by the Bearkats, Tyrone Marshall Jr. scratched the scoring column with a made jumper in the paint to bring the count to 5-3. Sam Houston connected from range to push its lead to five, but McHenry answered with a three to narrow the margin to two, 8-6, three minutes into the game.
Bayless connected on a layup off a fast break before Kalambay sunk a jump shot in the paint to even the score at 10-all with 14:32 to play until the half. After the Bearkats went ahead, 16-13, at the 11:22 mark, Jack Edelen responded with a three moments later to again even the count at 16-all.
After Sam Houston maintained a single-digit lead for the next nine minutes of the first half, a three-pointer by Kalambay evened the score at 34-34 with 2:11 to play before the break. With three seconds left in the period, Lander hit on a layup to regain a Tops' lead for the first time since the opening minute of play, and WKU entered halftime leading Sam Houston, 36-34.
The teams returned for the second half and traded leads for the next six minutes of regulation. Marshall Jr. hit from range to give the Tops a three-point lead, the team's largest of the game at that point, before Sam Houston responded with a three of its own seconds later to even the count at 41-all. After the Bearkats took a two-point lead off a pair of made free throws, a three by McHenry gave WKU a one-point lead, 46-45, at the 14:56 mark of the second.
After Sam Houston retook the lead and maintained a lead or tie for the next five minutes of play, a layup by Lander off a Bearkat turnover gave WKU a one-point, 54-53 lead with 9:26 remaining in regulation. A made pair at the stripe by McHenry and a layup by Marshall Jr. pushed the Tops' lead to five, 58-53, before Kalambay drained a deep three from the right wing to extend the Hilltopper lead to eight, 61-53, with 5:57 to play.
A three by Sam Houston cut the Hilltopper lead to four with two minutes remaining, but a McHenry driving layup pushed it back out to six, 65-59, 30 seconds later. A layup by Bayless following another Bearkat turnover gave WKU a 67-59 lead, and a made layup off a fastbreak by McHenry gave WKU a double-digit lead, 69-59, in the final minute of play.
Free throws by McHenry, Bayless and Marshall Jr. iced the game and secured the 75-66 victory for WKU.
NOTABLES
- WKU opened the game with the starting lineup of Keita, Jackson, Lander, Kalambay and Marshall Jr. for the first time this season. The group is now 1-0 on the year.
- Don McHenry led the Tops in scoring with a game-high 20 points off 6-for-17 shooting from the field and a perfect 6-of-6 mark at the stripe. The senior guard has now posted double figures scoring in 16 of the team's 20 outings and 20+ points in eight games
- Braxton Bayless finished with 16 points off a 6-for-9 clip from the field and a 2-of-3 clip from beyond the arch. The graduate guard added five rebounds, a team-best four assists and a pair of steals.
- Enoch Kalambay and Blaise Keita led the team in rebounding with seven boards each.
- Kalambay charted 13 points off 3-for-6 from the field with a 2-of-3 clip from beyond the arch, including a late three to stretch the Tops' lead to eight and kill momentum for the Bearkats. The senior added two assists and two steals in a team-high 31 minutes of action.
- Khristian Lander finished with 10 points with four rebounds, two assists and a steal. Lander helped defend and limit the conference's second-leading scorer in Lamar Wilkerson to just 12 points, one assist and one rebound.
- WKU benefitted from 41 total points from its bench while holding the Bearkat bench to just nine points
- WKU finished the day shooting .441% from the field while limiting Sam Houston to .375%
- The Tops outscored the Bearkats in the paint with 36 points to Sam Houston's 30
- WKU connected on 83% (15-of-18) at the charity stripe to Sam Houston's 61% (11-of-18)
- The Tops scored 12 points off fast breaks while charting a perfect 100% on fast break opportunities
- With the win, WKU moves to 12-8 overall with a 3-4 mark in conference play and improves to 1-2 all-time in meetings facing Sam Houston.
NEXT UP
Hilltopper Basketball returns home next week and will continue conference play hosting UTEP on Thursday, Jan. 30. Tipoff from Diddle Arena in Bowling Green, Ky. is slated for 7 p.m. CT with the game set to stream live on ESPN+.
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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