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The Hilltoppers enter the matchup facing the Panthers standing at 10-4 overall with a 1-0 mark in CUSA coming off a 71-70 road victory over Liberty on Thursday night to open conference play. Freshman guard Julius Thedford led the way for the Tops in the win over the Flames, charting 18 points highlighted by a go-ahead three to give WKU a three-point edge with 32 seconds left in regulation.
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Don McHenry and Tyrone Marshall Jr. each accounted for 12 points in Saturday's win, with Marshall finishing 6-for-7 from the field while charting a team-high eight rebounds and McHenry adding six rebounds with a pair of assists. Khristian Lander rounded out the Tops in double figures, connecting on 3-of-4 from beyond the arc and 3-for-7 from the field for 10 points, three rebounds and a team-best two blocks. Braxton Bayless led WKU in assists and steals with three each.
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FIU enters the game coming off a narrow loss to Middle Tennessee in the team's conference opener on Thursday. Junior center Vianney Salatchoum led the team in scoring with a season-high 21 points off a 10-for-14 clip shooting from the field. The Panthers stand at 6-8 overall and 0-1 in CUSA league play following the loss.
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GAME INFO
WKU (10-4, 1-0 CUSA) vs. FIU (6-8, 0-1 CUSA)
Saturday, Jan. 4 | 1 p.m. CT
Ocean Bank Convocation Center | Miami, Fla.
Watch:Â ESPN+Â (Corey Brooks & Stephen Strom)
Listen: Hilltopper Sports Radio Network | 100.7-FM (WKLX)/Varsity Network (Randy Lee & Hal Schmitt)
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 79.9 points per game, good for 84th most in the nation
- WKU ranks eighth in the nation for defensive rebounding with 29.79 per contest
- WKU ranks 65th in the nation in FG% defense, limiting opponents to a .404% clip shooting from the field
- The Tops rank 56th in the nation in steals with 8.6 per contest and a total of 121 on the year
- WKU currently ranks sixth in the nation in adjusted tempo with an average of 74.6 possessions per 40 minutes
- Don McHenry leads the Hilltoppers and ranks fifth in CUSA for scoring with 18.0 points per contest; McHenry's 27 steals (1.9/G) are fifth most in CUSA and 65th most in the nation
- McHenry holds the conference's seventh best FG% (min 60 attempts) at .433%
- McHenry holds a .360% (32-of-89) shooting clip from three-point range off the most attempts and most made threes on the team; the senior guard also touts the fourth-best free-throw percentage in CUSA with a .816% (40-of-49) mark from the stripe
- Tyrone Marshall Jr. leads WKU and charts third in the league for defensive rebounding with 81 (5.8/G) on the year, good for 76th most in the nation; the graduate forward also charts seventh in the league in total rebounds with 94 (6.7/G) on the year
- Marshall Jr. leads the Hilltoppers and ranks 15th in CUSA in blocks with a total of 10 on the year
- Freshman Julius Thedford is currently the team's third-leading scorer with 12.2 points per game off the team's second highest point total (171)
- Jalen Jackson leads the team and charts 19th in CUSA in assists with 29 (2.1/G) on the year
- Babacar Faye currently charts the team's second-best scoring average and rebounding average with 15.2 points and 7.8 boards per contest
SERIES INFORMATION
WKU holds a 40-12 all-time advantage in meetings facing FIU with a 15-8 mark on the road in Miami. The Hilltoppers posted a split in competition with FIU in 2023-24, securing a 105-91 win at home in Diddle Arena on Jan. 25, then falling on the road, 85-83, in the teams' last meeting on March 2.
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SCOUTING THE PANTHERS
- FIU enters Saturday's game at 6-8 overall with a 0-1 mark in CUSA after falling to Middle Tennessee, 73-69, in the Panthers' conference opener
- Junior big Vianney Salatchoum posted a season-high 21 points off a 10-for-14 clip shooting from the field to lead the team in scoring in the loss facing MTSU; Salatchoum currently charts as the team's second-leading scorer with 10.4 points per game and holds a team-best .590% (62-of-105) clip shooting from the fieldÂ
- Salatchoum leads the team in blocks and ranks second in CUSA with 29 on the year and 2.1 per contestÂ
- Junior guard Jayden Brewer leads the team in scoring and rebounding with 14.5 points and 5.6 boards per contest for the season; Brewer currently charts as the sixth-leading scorer in CUSA and ranks 10th in CUSA for reboundingÂ
- Junior guard Asim Jones leads the team in assists and ranks ninth in CUSA with 45 on the year and 3.2 per contest; Jones holds the league's fifth-best assist/turnover ratio at 1.8
- Jones currently charts the third-highest free-throw percentage in CUSA with a .833% (40-of-48) mark
- FIU leads the conference in blocks with an average of 5.21 per game and 73 total for the year
- The Panthers rank second in the league in steals with an average of 8.86 per game and 124 for the year
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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