BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — WKU Hilltopper Basketball begins a two-game homestand on Sunday afternoon, hosting Tennessee State inside E.A. Diddle Arena at 2 p.m. CT. The game will stream live on ESPN+.
GAME INFO
- Tennessee State (2-1) at WKU (2-0)
- Sunday, Nov. 16 | 2:00 p.m. CT | E.A. Diddle Arena | Bowling Green, Ky.
- Watch: ESPN+ (PxP: Reily Chestnut | Analyst: Jay Walton)
- Listen: The Varsity Network (PxP: Randy Lee | Analyst: Hal Schmitt)
- Live Stats: Sidearm | StatBroadcast
- Social: @WKUBasketball | @WKUSports
- Game Notes: WKU | Tennessee State
AT THE GAME
- Purchase WKU Hilltopper Basketball season tickets HERE.
- Purchase tickets to Sunday's game against Tennessee State HERE.
- The ticket booths at E.A. Diddle Arena will be open prior to doors opening. Doors will open 90 minutes prior to tipoff for the public.
- Sunday will be Esports Night — Level up your game as we bring the world of gaming to the hardwood!
- Schedule cards, posters and roster cards will be available at the marketing table near the entrance while supplies last.
- WKU Athletics offers a kids' corner in Diddle Arena, an area for kids to enjoy. This area includes bean bag tic-tac-toe, inflatable axe throwing and more. The kids' corner is located on the upstairs concourse by the concessions stand.
- After the game, stick around for postgame fist bumps from the WKU Hilltopper Basketball team and listen to the live postgame interview with Mahurin Family Foundation Head Coach Hank Plona.
- The full 2025-26 WKU Hilltopper Basketball promotional schedule can be found HERE.
- Want to make your gameday special? Check out our Hilltopper Highlights premium fan experiences for basketball season, including videoboard messages, Big Red visits, fan tunnels and more! Check out our Hilltopper Highlights HERE. Purchase WKU Hilltopper Basketball experiences HERE.
- For the full WKU Basketball Gameday Information page, click HERE.
- For the full WKU Basketball Winter Sports Yearbook, click HERE.
ABOUT THE TOPS
- WKU improved to 2-0 with an 87-79 win on the road at Eastern Kentucky last Monday inside Alumni Coliseum in Richmond, Kentucky. The Hilltoppers have now beaten the Colonels in 19 of the last 20 meetings, including six in a row. WKU owns a 118-44 all-time record against EKU.
- In Monday night's 87-79 victory over Eastern Kentucky, five Hilltoppers scored in double figures for the second consecutive contest. Teagan Moore paced the offense with 22 points, tying his career-high, while Grant Newell posted 15 points, Armelo Boone tallied 14, LJ Hackman added 13 and Terrion Murdix chipped in 10.
- WKU excelled at taking care of the ball against the Colonels, committing just three turnovers overall and none in the second half. It marked only the second time since turnover tracking began that the Hilltoppers have recorded three or fewer in a single game. Both of those performances have come under Mahurin Family Foundation Head Coach Hank Plona, including a two-turnover effort on Jan. 8, 2025, at home against Jax State. It was the first time WKU had three or fewer turnovers recorded in a road game.
- Teagan Moore played a big part in WKU's win over Eastern Kentucky, matching or eclipsing his personal bests across five different statistical categories. Moore scored 22 points, equaling his previous career-high set against Louisiana Tech on Feb. 28, 2024. He set a new mark for minutes played with 31, surpassing his former-best of 30 at Liberty on March 9, 2024. Moore hit 8-of-15 shots to set new career-highs in both field goals made and attempted, beating his prior records of seven made field goals (against UTEP on January 20, 2024) and 14 attempts (against Louisiana Tech on Feb. 28, 2024). Defensively, Moore posted a new career-best with three steals, topping his previous high of two, which he had achieved twice before, most recently against Tennessee Tech on Nov. 3, 2025.
- Armelo Boone scored 12 of his 14 points in the second half, shooting 6-of-13 from the field, 1-of-4 from behind the arc and 1-of-2 from the stripe. The freshman added six rebounds, five assists and three steals, making play after play in the final minutes to help lead WKU to the eight-point win. Boone is the first WKU freshman in at least the last 20 years with 10-plus points, five-plus rebounds, five-plus assists and three-plus steals in a single game. He's registered seven steals over his first two collegiate appearances.
- After sitting the last two seasons due to injury, Terrion Murdix has totaled 23 points, 11 rebounds, six assists, four steals and just three turnovers in 48 minutes. He's made 7-of-16 field goal attempts (43.8%) and 9-of-12 free throws (75.0%). WKU is plus-40 in the points category when Murdix is on the floor.
- Grant Newell has been a steady offensive threat through two games for the Hilltoppers, averaging 15.5 points on 45.5% shooting. He's 10-of-22 from the floor, connecting on a team-high three 3-pointers and knocking down 8-of-9 free throw attempts (88.9%).
QUOTABLE
- "They're talented. They score the ball. I think there are three returning starters from the game last year and we played well and beat them here last year, but they went on to have a very, very good season after that. I don't think they had another double-digit loss all year. They obviously finished above .500, both in the league and overall. Those guys have confidence, and they'll remember the game from last year. They have some talented offensive players. I know the guard that he (Nolan Smith) brought with him from Memphis has been at Georgetown and is a good player as well. They have some talented offensive pieces. We know they are going to be able to score. We've kind of been wrapping up EKU the last couple days and we'll focus on us today, but we'll make sure we're ready to go on Friday, Saturday and be ready for them on Sunday." — Mahurin Family Foundation Head Coach Hank Plona, heading into Sunday's game against Tennessee State.
SERIES INFORMATION
- Sunday will mark the 11th meeting between WKU and Tennessee State, dating back to the 1984-85 season. The Hilltoppers lead the all-time series, 10-0.
- WKU and Tennessee State met last season on Dec. 10, 2024, when the Hilltoppers defeated the Tigers, 84-60, inside Diddle Arena.
- Tennessee State enters Sunday's game with 2-1 overall record with wins over Fisk and Oakwood and a loss to Belmont.
- The Tigers are led by Nolan Smith, who is in his first year at the helm after serving as an assistant coach at Memphis under Penny Hardaway.
- TSU finished 17-16 overall and 12-8 in OVC play in 2024-25. The Tigers lost to SIU-Edwardsville, 71-69, in the semifinals of the OVC Tournament last year.
How to follow WKU Hilltopper Basketball: For complete information on WKU Hilltopper Basketball, visit WKUSports.com or follow the program via social media @WKUBasketball on Instagram and X.
