Don McHenry led the Tops' scoring effort, charting 20 points off 7-for-17 shooting from the field. Khristian Lander finished one rebound shy of a double-double with 18 points and nine rebounds. Blaise Keita managed a team-best 10 rebounds with six coming on the offensive end of the ball.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Hilltoppers cracked the scoring column at the 18-minute mark with a floater from McHenry to bring the early count to 5-2. McHenry then followed that up with a triple and then found Leeroy Odiahi for a jam to tie things at seven-all. Tyrone Marshall Jr. swatted one away and found McHenry for an open triple giving the Tops a 10-7 lead. The Blue Raiders responded with a three before Braxton Bayless connected from deep to give WKU the lead back, 13-10, at the under 16 media timeout.
MTSU couldn't connect on a jumper and the Tops went in transition with Lander finding an open Enoch Kalambay at the dish for the two, pushing the WKU lead to five, up 15-10. MTSU would score nine of the next 12 points, but a Kalambay triple would give WKU a one-point, 21-20 lead with 11:52 left until the break.
Pace of play slowed as McHenry connected off the glass to even the count at 23-all and push his point total into double figures with 10:12 remaining in the half. Bayless gave WKU the lead back with a three, marking the fifth of the game with 8:46 left in the first.
Trailing 33-32, Lander fed a cutting Odiahi for a two-handed jam to give the Tops the lead with 4:46 until the break. On the next possession, Bayless found Odiahi on a pick and roll for another dunk to push the WKU lead to three with 3:35 remaining in the first. The Blue Raiders took a three-point lead, but the conventional three-pointer from McHenry tied things for the sixth time at 39-39. MTSU would connect on the final five points of the half, taking a 44-39 lead into the locker room at the break.
The Blue Raiders would go on a 7-1 run to start the second half, taking a 51-40 lead and forcing the Tops into a timeout with 18:28 remaining in the second. Down nine, Lander's putback cut the deficit to seven, 52-45, with 16:20 left to play.
Kalambay's drive and layup off the glass brought the crowd back to life and cut the Tops' deficit to five points. A stop followed by a step-back floater from Kalambay made it a one possession game. Lander's drive to the rack for two cut it to a one-point, 54-53 game with 13:20 left to play. Down four, Bayless connected on one in traffic, getting fouled on his way up as the Tops would trail by just two, 59-57, at the 11:46 mark in the second half. A quick 5-0 run gave the Blue Raiders a 64-57 lead, but a Marshall Jr. triple would snap the run and make it a four-point game with 10:20 left in regulation.
WKU managed a stop and Kalambay found McHenry for a corner triple in transition. MTSU responded on the other end making it a six-point game again. Now down four, McHenry found Lander for the bank-in three to cut the deficit to one, 69-68, with 7:53 left to play.
Lander again kept the Hilltoppers within one possession with a made floater, pushing his point total to 15 and putting WKU at the 70-point mark trailing, 71-70. MTSU used a 10-0 run to take an 11-point lead, forcing the Tops into a timeout with 2:25 remaining.
Lander's conventional three-pointer would snap the scoring drought and make it an 81-73 game with 2:13 left. Down eight, WKU was forced to foul with less than a minute left. Kalambay connected on a layup with 43 seconds to play to mark the final basket of the night for WKU, and the Top fell to MTSU, 87-77.
NOTABLES
- WKU utilized the starting lineup of Bayless, McHenry, Lander, Odiahi and Marshall Jr. The lineup is now 0-1 on the season.
- WKU now leads the all-time series against the Blue Raiders 100-49 with MTSU taking both games in the series for the regular season. This is WKU's first loss against the Blue Raiders in Bowling Green since Jan. 29, 2022.
- Don McHenry led the scoring effort for WKU, charting 20 points on a 7-for-17 mark from the field. He added five rebounds, two assists and a block in 33 minutes.
- Blaise Keita managed a team-best 10 rebounds in 19 minutes of action. Six of Keita's 10 total boards came on the offensive end of the floor.
- Khristian Lander charted 18 points and was one rebound shy of a double-double, grabbing nine boards. Lander had three assists and a steal in 30 minutes of action.
- The Blue Raiders connected on 19 points off WKU's nine turnovers. MTSU committed six turnovers with WKU managing 0 points off the turnover opportunities.
- WKU managed to grab 21 offensive rebounds compared to MTSU's 15. The Blue Raiders managed 50 total compared to the Hilltoppers' 49.
- The Hilltoppers' 21 offensive rebounds mark a season best.
- WKU hit free throws at a .529% (9-of-17) clip, a season low for the Tops from the charity stripe.
NEXT UP
Hilltopper Basketball continues its CUSA slate next week with a matchup hosting Sam Houston on Thursday, Feb. 20. Tipoff is slated for 8 p.m. CT with the game set to be nationally televised live on ESPNU.
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.
