Â
The Hilltoppers enter the rematch with the Blue Raiders standing at 14-10 overall with a 5-6 mark in CUSA and coming off an 85-83 loss on the road at Jacksonville State last time out on Saturday. Khristian Lander led the Tops' offensive output with a career-high 30 points off 9-for-13 shooting from the field with a 6-of-9 clip from beyond the arc and a 6-of-6 mark from the charity stripe.
Â
Tyrone Marshall Jr. finished with 22 points off an 8-for-13 shooting clip with 3-of-7 from the arc and 3-of-3 at the stripe in the loss facing the Gamecocks. Marshall Jr. led the team in rebounds with seven, adding two assists and a steal in 36 minutes of action. Braxton Bayless charted 15 points off a .700% (7-for-10) clip shooting from the field with five rebounds, a team high of four assists and two steals.
Â
Thursday saw WKU fall on the road at Kennesaw State, 76-69, despite another career night from Don McHenry, as the senior guard tied a career high for scoring with 30 points off a .500% (9-for-18) clip from the field with a team-best six rebounds and two steals. With a 10-point performance against Jax State on Saturday, McHenry has now charted double figures in eight consecutive games and currently stands as the sixth-leading scorer in CUSA at 18.0 points per contest.
 Â
Middle Tennessee enters Saturday night's game at 16-8 overall and holding a tie for second place in CUSA with a 7-4 mark in league play. MTSU is coming off a 76-75 win over Kennesaw State on Saturday, with Jestin Porter leading the Blue Raiders in scoring with 22 points off a .500% (8-for-16) clip from the field and a 5-of-8 mark from range. Porter currently stands as the seventh-leading scorer in the league at 16.3 points per contest. Essam Mostafa charts second on the team and 12th in CUSA for scoring at 13.5 points per contest, while leading the league in rebounding with an average of 8.6 boards per contest and a total of 198 for the season.Â
  Â
GAME INFO
WKU (14-10, 5-6 CUSA) vs. Middle Tennessee (16-8, 7-4 CUSA)
Saturday, Feb. 15 | 7 p.m. CT
E.A. Diddle Arena | Bowling Green, Ky.
Watch:Â CBS Sports Network
Listen: Hilltopper Sports Radio Network | 100.7-FM (WKLX)/Varsity Network (Randy Lee & Hal Schmitt)
Live Stats: Sidearm Stats | StatBroadcast
Tickets: WKUTickets.com | 1-800-5-BIG RED
Game Notes:Â Media Center
 Â
ABOUT THE TOPS
- WKU currently ranks second in CUSA in scoring with an average of 77.8 points per contestÂ
- WKU is currently fifth in the nation in adjusted tempo with an average of 72.6 possessions per 40 minutes
- WKU ranks 12th in the nation in defensive rebounding with 28.29 per contest
- The Tops rank 35th in the nation in steals with 8.8 per contest and a total of 210 on the year
- WKU ranks 64th in the nation in FG% defense, limiting opponents to a .413% clip shooting from the field
- Don McHenry leads the Hilltoppers and charts sixth in CUSA for scoring at 18.0 points per contest;Â McHenry's 38 steals (1.6/G) are eighth most in CUSA
- McHenry holds the conference's eighth-best FG% at .406%
- McHenry touts the third-best free-throw percentage in CUSA with a .828% (96-of-116) mark from the stripe
- McHenry's 51 made three-pointers ranks ninth in CUSA
- Khristian Lander's 39 three-pointers ranks 13th in CUSA
- Lander charts 17th in the league in scoring at 12.0 points per gameÂ
- Tyrone Marshall Jr. leads WKU and ranks third in CUSA in defensive rebounding with 132 (5.5/G) on the year, good for 85th most in the nation; the graduate forward also leads the team and charts eighth in the league in total rebounds with 155 (6.5/G) on the year
- Marshall Jr. charts second on the team and 16th in CUSA in total blocks with 17 on the year; Marshall charts 15th in the league in steals with 32 total on the yearÂ
- Leeroy Odiahi leads WKU and ranks 13th in CUSA in total blocks with 21 on the year
- Jalen Jackson leads the team and ranks 18th in CUSA in assists with a total of 50 (2.1/G) on the year
- Jackson's 34 steals are good for 12th most in CUSA
SERIES INFORMATION
Saturday will mark the 149th all-time meeting between the programs in a historic rivalry series dating back to 1914. Serving as the third-most played series in Hilltopper Basketball history, WKU holds a 100-48 all-time advantage over Middle Tennessee. The teams previously faced off earlier in the season on Jan. 18 with WKU falling, 71-51, in Murfreesboro. WKU secured a dominant 85-54 victory over MTSU to advance to the CUSA Championship Final and earn a 100th all-time win over the Blue Raiders last season on March 15, 2024. The 31-point margin of victory marked the largest for WKU over its rival since an 80-48 win on Jan. 7, 2006, and the largest in a conference tournament in program history. The Hilltoppers posted a split in the 2023-24 regular season facing MTSU, falling on the road in Murfreesboro, 74-72, on Feb. 24, and earning an 88-65 win at home in Diddle Arena on Feb. 3.
Â
SCOUTING THE BLUE RAIDERS
- Jestin Porter leads MTSU and ranks seventh in CUSA in scoring with 16.3 points per game
- Porter earned CUSA POTW honors on Jan. 13 after charting 29 points in an 81-64 win over Jax State on Jan. 11 and 27 points in an 84-79 win over Kennesaw State on Jan. 9
- Porter holds the sixth-best free-throw percentage in CUSA at .800% (64-of-80)
- Graduate forward Essam Mostafa leads CUSA in rebounding with a total of 198 on the year and 8.6 per game
- Redshirt senior guard Camryn Weston and senior guard Jlynn Counter rank eighth and ninth in CUSA in assists respectivelyÂ
- MTSU averages 75.8 points per contest as a team, sixth most in CUSA
- The Blue Raiders' .457% team FG% ranks fourth in CUSA
- The Blue Raiders rank third in CUSA in combined team rebounding, pulling down 37.7 per game and 905 total as a collective for the season
AT THE GAME
Saturday will be a Red Out, with fans encouraged to wear red in support of Hilltopper Basketball. WKU's 2025 'Coming Home King' will also be crowned at halftime of the game, and WKU Greek Life's Master of the Spirit Challenge continues as fraternities and sororities compete in an attendance challenge.
Â
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.
Â
