BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — WKU Hilltopper Basketball moved to 3-0 with a 95-82 win over Tennessee State on Sunday afternoon inside E.A. Diddle Arena.
The Hilltoppers built a double-digit lead in the first half and held control throughout, using a balanced offensive effort that saw five players score in double figures. Teagan Moore led the team with 20 points and six rebounds, while Grant Newell and Bryant Selebangue each added 12. Armelo Boone and Cam Haffner contributed 11 and 10 points, respectively. WKU shot a season-best 54.7% from the field and dominated statistically, winning categories such as points in the paint (62-24), points off turnovers (19-5) and bench points (42-21), leading for over 38 minutes of game time.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- WKU started the game on a 6-0 run with two-point buckets from Blaise Keita, Grant Newell and Terrion Murdix. Back-to-back makes from Bryant Selebangue and Cam Haffner answered two baskets from Tennessee State to maintain a six-point lead, 10-4, with 14:32 on the clock.
- A pair of free throws and a bucket from the Tigers made it a one-possession game, 10-8, but a Haffner 3-pointer, two free throws from Teagan Moore and a slam dunk from Armelo Boone extended the WKU lead back to six, 17-11, with 13:08 left in the first half.
- Tennessee State evened the score at 19-19 with 10:38 remaining, but Moore went on a 5-0 run of his own to retake the lead 24-19 and make it a two-possession game.
- The Hilltoppers would slowly grow their advantage over the next seven minutes, pushing it to double digits after another basket from Selebangue to extend the lead to 42-32.
- It looked like WKU was going into the half with an 11-point lead after a layup from Moore with five seconds left, but a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from the Tigers made it a 51-43 game going into the break.
- Grant Newell started the second half on a 4-0 run, pushing the Hilltoppers' lead to 12, 55-43.
- Tennessee State cut its deficit to 61-58, but WKU responded with a 26-7 run to go ahead 87-65. Eight different Hilltoppers contributed during the run.
- The Tigers got within 13, but buckets from Boone and Hackman in the late stages closed it out, making the final score 95-82.
NOTABLES
- WKU improves to 3-0 on the year and stays unbeaten against Tennessee State with all-time mark of 11-0. It's the first time the Hilltoppers have started 3-0 since the 2022-23 season.
- Tonight's starting five was Terrion Murdix, LJ Hackman, Teagan Moore, Grant Newell and Blaise Keita.
- Announced attendance for the game was 2,845.
- Five Hilltoppers scored in double digits for the third time this season. Teagan Moore led the way with 20, Grant Newell and Bryant Selebangue had 12 each, Armelo Boone tallied 11 and Cam Haffner chipped in 10.
- Moore produced 20 points on 7-of-9 shooting and 6-of-8 from the stripe in 27 minutes. He added six rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block. It was his second 20-plus point outing of the season and third of his career.
- Newell had 12 points on 4-of-9 shooting from the floor and 4-of-6 from the line in 26 minutes. He collected a season-high seven rebounds and one assist. He's scored in double digits in all three games, registering at least 12 points in each contest.
- Selebangue was efficient, tallying 12 points in 15 minutes off the bench. He shot 5-of-8 from the field while grabbing three rebounds and blocking two shots.
- Armelo Boone totaled 11 points on 5-of-8 shooting and contributed four rebounds, three assists and one steal in 19 minutes.
- Cam Haffner provided a spark in the first half, scoring 10 points, including two 3-pointers. It was the first time this season that Haffner scored in double digits.
- Terrion Murdix scored eight points, dished out a season-high seven assists and added two steals.
- Leeroy Odiahi brought the energy off the bench, scoring seven points on three dunks, including an and-one finish and an alley-oop from a Murdix pass. He also blocked two shots and grabbed three rebounds.
- The Hilltoppers shot a season-high 54.7% as a team, converting 35-of-64 attempts.
- WKU outscored Tennessee State in points off turnovers (19-5), points in the paint (62-24), second chance points (15-4), fast-break points (26-14) and bench points (42-21).
- The Hilltoppers won the turnover battle, 14-9.
- WKU led for over 38 minutes and never trailed.
QUOTABLES
- "All in all, very happy to get a win against a very talented team. Tennessee State gave us everything that we kind of thought that they would. We knew on offense that they had the potential to run up a lot of points. They have consistently done that in every game they've played this year. Definitely happy to get a win in a game where it seems like we weren't really shooting the ball from 3 very well. I don't know if we were guarding very well. There's obviously a lot of things that we did do pretty well. Probably as far as toughness, attacking the basket, sharing the ball and playing together that led to that win. A step in the right direction for this team. We obviously still have a long way to go with what's in front of us, but all in all, happy to get a win against a very talented team." — Mahurin Family Foundation Head Coach Hank Plona, on the win over Tennessee State.
- "I would like to think I'm pretty strong. I'm pretty good at getting to where I want to go and where I feel comfortable. Especially when they're in zone. Just getting to the middle and getting to my spots. Getting to the spots where I have the advantage on offense." — Guard Teagan Moore, on what was working for him in the win over Tennessee State.
- "It's felt really good ever since the exhibition. Just the fans around and the energy. The more people that are in there and the more support we have, the better we play." — Guard Cam Haffner, on his shooting in the win over Tennessee State.
NEXT UP
- The Hilltoppers are back in action on Tuesday, Nov. 18 against Bethel (Tenn.). Tipoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT at E.A. Diddle Arena and the game will be streamed on ESPN+. Tickets to the game can be purchased HERE.
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.
