Tops Fall Short Hosting Jax State, 73-67

Thursday, January 9

Bowling Green, Ky.

7 p.m.

Western Kentucky University

10-6,1-2CUSA

Jacksonville State

9-6,1-1CUSA

Jacksonville St.

Western Ky.

1/9/2025 11:52:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Game Book (PDF)HC Hank Plona Postgame Presser Enoch Kalambay & Julius Thedford Postgame Presser Photo Gallery

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – WKU men's basketball fell short hosting Jax State, 73-67, on Thursday night in Diddle Arena. With the loss, the Hilltoppers drop to 10-6 overall with a 1-2 mark in CUSA league play.

Enoch Kalambay posted a career day for the Hilltoppers, charting a career-best 24 points off a 7-for-17 clip shooting from the field and a 3-of-6 mark from beyond the arc with 7-of-7 made at the charity stripe. The Quebec native added five rebounds, a block and an assist in 33 minutes of action.

Julius Thedford followed, going for 17 points off 5-of-10 from the field and 5-of-7 at the stripe along with four rebounds and a steal.

HOW IT HAPPENED
One minute into the game, Thedford connected on a pair at the stripe to even the count at two apiece. Kalambay scored his first bucket of the night with a two-point driving layup in the paint off a fastbreak to again tie the game at 4-all. Down 6-4, Thedford knocked down a three to give WKU its first lead of the game, 7-6, at the 17:16 mark of the first. With 16:34 left until the half, Thedford fed Kalambay for another triple to give the Tops a 10-8 advantage. WKU secured a stop on the other end, and Jalen Jackson took one to the rack for a two-point lay giving the Tops a 12-8 edge just under four minutes in.

With 13:08 left in the half, the Gamecocks took the lead back with a made floater to go up 17-16. JSU would maintain a lead until the under-12 media timeout. With 10:56 left in the half, Kalambay buried a second triple, this from the right wing, giving WKU a 19-17 lead. The Tops were first to 20 with a transition layup by Thedford for a 21-18 advantage.

Connecting on just one of the team's last eight field goals, the Hilltopper lead dwindled down to one, up 23-22, with 3:47 until the break. Don McHenry then drove through traffic for his first points of the night to cushion the Tops' lead, 25-22, with 3:16 to play until the break. WKU then forced Jax State into a seventh turnover as McHenry connected again on the other end for the Hilltoppers' largest lead of the night, 27-22.

Holding the ball for the final possession of the half, a Thedford three was off and WKU would take a 27-24 lead into the half. 27 points are the fewest the Hilltoppers have scored in the first half all season.

Out of the break, the Gamecocks cut the lead to one before Kalambay fed Tyrone Marshall Jr. under the basket for WKU's first points of the half. Marshall Jr. followed that up with his first triple of the game to put the Tops ahead, 32-28, with 18:00 left to play in the second. After the Gamecocks tied it at 33, McHenry rolled one off the glass to take back the lead, 35-33.

Knotted at 35, Kalambay connected for his third three to break the tie and put WKU ahead, 38-35, with 15:04 left in regulation. A quick four points gave Jax State the lead back before a pair of foul shots by Kalambay gave WKU a 40-39 advantage with 13:09 to play.

Finding themselves down one again, Khristian Lander fed Braxton Bayless for a three, marking his first points of the night and giving WKU a two-point, 43-41 lead at the 12:33 mark of the second. The teams continued to battle back and forth, eventually even at 45 midway through the second half.

A 9-0 Jax State run combined with a 3:00 WKU scoring drought allowed JSU to take its largest lead of the game, up 58-49, with 5:19 left to play. A pair of Lander free throws would snap the drought with 4:41 remaining. Heading into the final media timeout, Jax State held an 11-point, 62-51 lead with 3:52 left in regulation.

Thedford connected on the Hilltoppers' first field goal in over five minutes to cut the deficit to nine with 2:33 remaining. Lander then grabbed a steal leading to a Thedford jam to make it a seven-point game with two minutes left to play in regulation. Jax State then pushed the margin back to 10 with a made three.

Now down eight, Kalambay drove to the basket and converted the hoop and harm to make it a five-point game with 1:21 left in the game. With 23.5 left, Lander connected on a long three to cut the margin to four, trailing 71-67. Jax State would hit a pair at the stripe to push the Gamecock lead back out to six, and WKU would get its second home loss of the season, 73-67.

NOTABLES

WKU utilized the starting lineup of McHenry, Jackson, Thedford, Kalambay and Marshall Jr. for the first time this season. The group is now 0-1. This is the 12th different lineup the Tops have used this season.
Enoch Kalambay posted a career night for the Tops, managing 24 points before fouling out with a minute left. This marks the first time this season Kalambay has led the way scoring for WKU.
Julius Thedford added 17 points on a 5-for-10 mark from the field. He added four rebounds and a steal in the freshman's sixth start of the season.
WKU only committed two turnovers compared to Jax State's nine. This marks the fewest turnovers for the Hilltoppers since joining CUSA in 2014. The Hilltoppers had three in a 75-71 loss to Charlotte on Jan. 21, 2023.
WKU managed just 30 rebounds for the game to JSU's 50. The Hilltoppers have now posted 30 or fewer boards in three of their last four outings.
As a team, WKU shot 32-percent from the field, hitting on 21-of-64 shots.
WKU benefited from two second-chance points to the Gamecocks' 10

NEXT UP
WKU continues conference play hosting CUSA newcomer Kennesaw State on Saturday, Jan. 11. Tipoff from E.A. Diddle Arena in Bowling Green, Ky. is slated for 2 p.m. CT and will be streamed 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.