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The Hilltoppers enter the rematch against the Bearkats standing at 14-11 overall with a 5-7 mark in CUSA and coming off an 87-77 loss at home facing Middle Tennessee last time out. Don McHenry led the Tops' scoring effort, charting 20 points off 7-for-17 shooting from the field to mark a ninth straight game the senior guard has scored in double figures. McHenry has also posted 20+ points in six of the Tops' last seven outings and 12 of the team's 25 outings on the year. The native of Milwaukee currently stands as the fifth-leading scorer in CUSA at 18.0 points per contest.
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Khristian Lander finished one rebound shy of a double-double with 18 points and nine rebounds along with a team-high three assists in the loss facing MTSU. With the 18-point outing, Lander has now scored in double figures in six straight contests and 14 total contests for the Tops this season. Blaise Keita managed a team-best 10 rebounds with six coming on the offensive end. Enoch Kalambay and Braxton Bayless rounded out the Tops to chart in double figures, going for 14 points and 11 points respectively. Bayless has now posted double figures in four straight outings and five of the Tops' last six contests.
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Sam Houston enters Thursday's game at 10-16 overall with a 3-10 mark in conference play. The Bearkats posted a 2-0 sweep last weekend with wins over league-leader Jax State, 66-61, on Thursday and Kennesaw State, 78-76, on Saturday. Lamar Wilkerson was named the College Insider Lou Henson National Mid-Major Player of the Week and earned CUSA Player of the Week honors following a 27-point average in the pair of wins. Wilkerson posted a tie for a career-high in scoring in the win over Jax State, notching 29 points with a 6-of-9 clip from beyond the arc, then followed the performance with 25 points and six rebounds in the win over KSU. Wilkerson stands as the second-leading scorer in CUSA at 19.7 points per contest while touting the top three-point shooting percentage in the league (.439%) off the most made threes (87 total; 3.3/G) in CUSA.
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GAME INFO
WKU (14-11, 5-7 CUSA) vs. Sam Houston (10-16, 3-10 CUSA)
Thursday, Feb. 20 | 8 p.m. CT
E.A. Diddle Arena | Bowling Green, Ky.
Watch:Â ESPNU
Listen: Hilltopper Sports Radio Network | 100.7-FM (WKLX)/Varsity Network (Randy Lee & Hal Schmitt)
Live Stats: Sidearm Stats | StatBroadcast
Tickets: Ticket Promo | WKUTickets.com | 1-800-5-BIG RED
Game Notes:Â Media Center
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ABOUT THE TOPS
- WKU currently leads CUSA in scoring at 77.8 points per gameÂ
- WKU holds an 11-3 record at home this season and a 3-2 home record in league playÂ
- WKU is currently fifth in the nation in adjusted tempo with an average of 72.9 possessions per 40 minutes
- WKU ranks 11th in the nation in defensive rebounding with 28.28 per contest
- The Tops rank 42nd in the nation in steals with 8.5 per contest and a total of 213 on the year
- WKU ranks 61st in the nation in FG% defense, limiting opponents to a .414% clip shooting from the field
- Don McHenry leads the Hilltoppers and ranks fifth in CUSA for scoring at 18.0 points per contest;Â McHenry's 38 steals (1.5/G) are eighth most in CUSA
- McHenry holds the conference's eighth-best FG% (min # attempts) at .406%
- McHenry touts the second-highest free throw percentage in CUSA with a .832% (99-of-119) mark from the stripe
- McHenry's 54 made three-pointers ranks eighth in CUSA
- Khristian Lander ranks 15th in CUSA in scoring with 12.3 points per contest
- Lander has scored in double figures in six straight contests and 14 total contests on the season
- Tyrone Marshall Jr. leads WKU and ranks third in CUSA in defensive rebounding with 138 (5.5/G) on the year, good for 82nd most in the nation; the graduate forward also leads the team and charts seventh in the league in total rebounds with 162 (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 Jr. also charts 15th in the league in steals with 34 total on the yearÂ
- Leeroy Odiahi leads WKU and ranks 10th in CUSA in total blocks with 23 on the year
- Jalen Jackson leads the team and ranks 20th in CUSA in assists with a total of 51 (2.0/G) on the year
- Jackson's 34 steals are good for 14th most in CUSA
SERIES INFORMATION
Thursday will mark the fourth-ever meeting between the programs with WKU holding a 1-2 all-time record facing Sam Houston. WKU secured a 75-66 win in overtime in the teams' first meeting earlier this season on the road in Huntsville on Jan. 25. The Hilltoppers fell on the road in Huntsville, 78-74, last season on Jan. 10 in the Bearkats' first season competing in CUSA. The Tops followed the first-ever meeting in 2023-24 with a narrow 79-77 loss hosting Sam Houston in a rematch at home on Feb. 1 in Diddle Arena. A win on Thursday would even the series at 2-2 and give WKU a sixth victory in conference play for 2024-25.
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SCOUTING THE BEARKATS
- Sam Houston enters the game coming off a 2-0 sweep in league play last week, including wins over league-leader Jax State, 66-61, on Thursday and Kennesaw State, 78-76, on Saturday
- Lamar Wilkerson averaged 27 points in the Bearkats' pair of victories last week, including a tie for a career-high in scoring with 29 points in the team's win over Jax State and 25 points in the win over KSU
- Wilkerson earned College Insider Lou Henson National Mid-Major Player of the Week and CUSA Player of the Week honors on Monday following the pair of performances last week
- Wilkerson stands as the second-leading scorer in CUSA with 19.7 points per contest, good for 25th most in the nationÂ
- Wilkerson holds the top three-point clip in CUSA and 15th highest percentage in the nation at .439% off the most made threes in the league with a total of 87 on the year and 3.3 per game
- Wilkerson holds the third-highest free throw percentage in the league with a .823% (65-of-79) mark at the stripe and the fifth-highest shot percentage from the field at .476% (180-of-378)
- Marcus Boykin ranks second in CUSA in assists with a total of 100 on the season and 5.0 per game
- Boykin ranks fifth in CUSA in steals with a total of 32 on the season and 1.6 per game
- Cameron Huefner ranks tenth in the league in scoring with 14 points per contest
- Sam Houston holds the top team three-point percentage in CUSA at .383% while allowing opponents the highest average three-point mark of any team in the league (.347%)
- The Bearkats are currently 0-7 on the road in conference play and 2-12 on the road for the season
AT THE GAME
Thursday night will be a Black Out, with fans encouraged to wear black in support of Hilltopper Basketball. WKU Athletics also announced a 'Snow Day' ticket promo for the game, allowing fans the opportunity to purchase $10 lower-level tickets of $5 upper-level tickets. Fan can purchase tickets here:Â bit.ly/TopsSnowDay
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WKU will be holding a student raffle at the game. Students who attend will have a chance to win prizes such as team gear, gift cards, a 65" TV, JBL portable speaker or sound bar and a mini projector. Students who arrive at least 30 minutes prior to tipoff will receive five times the number of tickets.
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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.
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