BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — WKU Hilltopper Basketball moved to 4-0 with a 97-67 win over Bethel (Tenn.) on Tuesday night inside E.A. Diddle Arena.
WKU used balanced scoring, hot outside shooting and tough defense for a commanding win over Bethel, remaining unbeaten on the year behind strong performances from Grant Newell, Teagan Moore and a breakout first-half stretch from Kade Unseld.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- WKU went nearly four minutes without a field goal before Grant Newell hit a 3-pointer to give the Hilltoppers a 7-6 lead at the first media timeout. The Hilltoppers first four points came from free throws.
- After Bethel tied it at 7-7 with a free throw, the Hilltoppers outscored the Wildcats 8-0 — capped by a Teagan Moore and-one off a steal — to take a 15-7 advantage with 12:08 in the half.
- Kade Unseld got hot at the 10-minute mark, draining four consecutive 3-pointers in just two minutes to push WKU's lead to 31-16 with eight minutes remaining.
- The Hilltoppers extended the margin to 22 after a Jack Edelen 3-pointer, but Bethel closed the half with a 4-0 run to trail 44-26 at halftime.
- Grant Newell scored WKU's first 10 points of the second half with two 3-pointers, two free throws and a layup, stretching the Hilltopper lead to 54-30.
- Teagan Moore scored six points during an 8-0 run that pushed the lead to 26. Bethel trimmed the lead to 66-44 with back-to-back 3s.
- Ryan Myers converted a four-point play to keep WKU comfortably ahead before an Unseld layup, four free throws and a Cam Haffner 3-pointer increased the gap to 85-61 with just over three minutes left.
- The Hilltoppers finished on an 8-0 run, with Cade Stinnett scoring six — including an and-one and a 3-pointer — for a 97-67 win.
NOTABLES
- WKU improves to 4-0 on the season and 2-0 all-time against Bethel (Tenn.), its best start since 2019-20.
- Tonight's starting was Terrion Murdix, LJ Hackman, Teagan Moore, Grant Newell and Blaise Keita.
- Announced attendance was 2,523.
- Four players scored in double figures. Grant Newell paced the offense with 16 points, matching his season-high. Teagan Moore and Kade Unseld had 15 each and Armelo Boone chipped in 12.
- Newell was efficient on 4-of-6 shooting, 3-of-4 from 3-point range and 5-of-6 at the line in 16 minutes.
- Unseld made his first collegiate baskets, scoring 12 points on four straight 3-pointers in two first-half minutes, finishing 5-of-8 from the floor and 4-of-7 from long range. WKU was plus-26 with him on the court in the game.
- Moore was a perfect 9-of-9 from the line, adding a career-high five assists, four rebounds, a steal and a block over 25 minutes. He's scored 15-plus points in all four games.
- Boone posted double-digit points for the third straight game and notched four steals, leading Conference USA with 12 total steals.
- Terrion Murdix grabbed a team-high eight rebounds and chipped in three points and three assists.
- LJ Hackman added four steals and seven points in 13 minutes, hitting 5-of-8 at the stripe.
- Cam Haffner hit a pair of triples and grabbed three rebounds in 12 minutes.
- Cade Stinnett logged six points on a perfect shooting night, including a made 3-pointer.
- WKU shot 42.9% overall, held Bethel to 33.3% and knocked down a season-high 12 treys at 44.4%.
- The Hilltoppers also hit a season-high 31-of-41 free throws.
- WKU led in points off turnovers (28-10), points in the paint (33-20), fast-break points (18-12) and bench points (56-37), leading for nearly 37 minutes and trailing for only eight seconds.
QUOTABLES
- "Obviously, trying to use tonight to keep moving in the right direction, keep getting better and get a win while we're at it. We got a win while we were at it, so that was good. It's crazy with these games. The general noise is, 'Well, why are you playing this game?' Or, 'These guys aren't any good', and I just think it's so disrespectful to an opponent and I just think it's really hard to shield players from hearing that. Honestly, we were fighting our own human nature all week. I would even say leading up to Tennessee State. I've mentioned it a few times, but I feel like if we're not playing Kentucky or Louisville there's, 'Well, why are we playing these guys?' To me, it's just massively disrespectful to our opponent. I think we were trying to focus on ourselves and our preparation. It shouldn't matter if it's Tennessee State, Bethel, Vanderbilt, VCU, South Florida, the Lakers, the Knicks or the Purples. We need to focus on doing our best." — Mahurin Family Foundation Head Coach Hank Plona, on the win over Bethel (Tenn.).
- "Yeah, just staying ready. Being patient. Controlling what I can control. The last game I came in and airballed three feet over the rim. Just trying to relax, get the rust off. I haven't played in a year. Once the first one goes in, the rim looks like the ocean." — Guard Kade Unseld, on his first collegiate points in the win over Bethel (Tenn.).
- "I felt like we were leaving a lot of points on the board early and I feel like we still did throughout the rest of the game. I felt like we could've played way better. If y'all thought the offense was flying, we have a lot more of that, that we can show. I felt like we gave a lot of second chance opportunities, so I felt like the offense could've looked a lot better if we could've taken care of things on the defensive end." — Forward Grant Newell, on the win over Bethel (Tenn.).
NEXT UP
- The Hilltoppers play in the Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament in The Bahamas. WKU is slated for three games in three days in the eight-team tournament, starting on Wednesday, Nov. 26, against Vanderbilt. Tipoff is scheduled for 11 a.m. CT at Imperial Arena and the game will air nationally on ESPN. The Hilltoppers will play South Florida or VCU on Thursday, Nov. 27, depending on Wednesday's outcome.
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.
