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The Hilltoppers enter the matchup facing the Miners standing at 15-12 overall with a 6-8 mark in CUSA and coming off a 64-63 home victory over LA Tech last time out to snap a four-game losing skid. Braxton Bayless posted a career night for the Tops, charting 27 points on an 11-of-19 clip from the field to lead all scorers and accounting for a go-ahead layup with 0.4 seconds remaining in regulation that would ultimately secure the victory for WKU. The graduate guard managed a team-best 3-of-4 mark from beyond the arc, adding five rebounds with a team high of four assists and two steals.
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Tyrone Marshall Jr. led the team on the boards with six rebounds along with 13 points, one assist and a steal. Don McHenry managed double figures for the 11th straight game and 23rd game this season, going for 14 points off 6-for-12 shooting from the field with three boards, three assists and a pair of steals. As a team, the Tops shot the ball at a .456% clip while holding the Bulldogs to just .372% shooting from the field. WKU also outscored LA Tech 36-16 in the paint, holding the league's sixth-leading scorer in redshirt senior big Daniel Batcho to just 10 points.
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UTEP enters Thursday's game at 17-10 overall with a 7-7 mark in league play and coming off a 73-65 loss on the road at Jax State last time out. Otis Frazier III led the Miners' effort in the scoring column posting a 25-point, 10-rebound double-double with an 8-of-14 clip from the field and a 3-of-5 mark from beyond the arc. Frazier III added a game-high five steals along with a pair of assists in the loss. The senior forward currently stands as the ninth-leading scorer in CUSA with 14.4 points per game while leading the league in steals with a total of 66 on the season and 2.4 per game, good for 10th most in the nation. As a team, the Miners rank second in the nation in steals per game with an average of 10.6 per outing. UTEP also ranks fifth in the nation in turnovers forced per game (16.67) and holds the 10th best turnover margin in the nation (4.6).
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GAME INFO
WKU (15-12, 6-8 CUSA) vs. UTEP (17-10, 7-7 CUSA)
Thursday, Feb. 27 | 8 p.m. CT
Don Haskins Center | El Paso, Texas
Watch: CBS Sports Network (Alex Del Bario & Steve Wolf)
Listen: Hilltopper Sports Radio Network | 100.7-FM (WKLX)/Varsity Network (Randy Lee & Hal Schmitt)
Live Stats:Â StatBroadcast
Tickets: Purchase | WKUTickets.com | 1-800-5-BIG RED
Game Notes:Â Media Center
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ABOUT THE TOPS
- WKU currently charts second in CUSA in scoring at 76.7 points per gameÂ
- WKU holds a 12-4 record at home this season with a 4-3 home record in league play, while standing at 3-8 in road games with a 2-5 mark in league play on the road
- WKU is currently eighth in the nation in adjusted tempo with an average of 72.5 possessions per 40 minutes
- WKU ranks 15th in the nation in defensive rebounding with 27.93 per game
- The Tops rank 43rd in the nation in steals with 8.3 per contest and a total of 225 on the year
- WKU ranks 61st in the nation in team FG% defense, limiting opponents to a .415% clip from the field
- WKU ranks 74th in the nation in team 3PT% defense, limiting opponents to a .317% clip from rangeÂ
- Don McHenry leads the Hilltoppers and charts as the fifth-leading scorer in CUSA at 17.6 points per contest;Â McHenry's 41 steals (1.5/G) are seventh most in CUSA
- McHenry holds the conference's eighth-highest FG% (min # attempts) at .403%
- McHenry touts the third-highest free throw percentage in CUSA with a .836% (102-of-122) mark from the stripe
- McHenry has scored in double figures in 23-of-27 outings for the Tops this season, with 20+ point efforts in a total of 12 games
- Khristian Lander charts as the Tops' second-leading active scorer and ranks 17th in CUSA with 11.9 points per contest
- Lander has scored in double figures in 14 total contests on the season
- Tyrone Marshall Jr. leads WKU and ranks second in CUSA in defensive rebounding with 149 (5.5/G) on the year, good for 81st most in the nation; the graduate forward also leads the team and charts eighth in the league in total rebounds with 174 (6.4/G) on the year
- Marshall Jr. charts second on the team and 17th in CUSA in total blocks with 17 on the year
- Marshall Jr. charts 14th in the league in steals with 35 total on the year, and sixth in steals within league play with 21Â
- Leeroy Odiahi leads WKU and ranks 12th in CUSA in total blocks with 24 on the year
- Jalen Jackson leads the team and ranks 18th in CUSA in assists with a total of 60 (2.2/G) on the year
- Jackson's 34 steals are good for 16th most in CUSA
SERIES INFORMATION
Thursday will mark the 15th meeting between the programs with WKU holding a 12-2 all-time advantage over UTEP in a series dating back to 1969. WKU previously posted a 78-74 home victory over UTEP earlier in the season on Jan. 30. The Hilltoppers posted a split with the Miners in regular season play in 2023-24, falling on the road in El Paso, 93-87, on Jan. 20, then securing a 90-80 win at home in Diddle Arena on Feb. 15. The teams met a third time in the CUSA Championship Final in Huntsville, Ala. on March 16, with the Tops posting a 78-71 victory over UTEP to secure the 2024 CUSA Tournament Title and an automatic bid to the 2024 NCAA Tournament.
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SCOUTING THE MINERS
- Otis Frazier III is currently the ninth-leading scorer in CUSA with 14.4 points per gameÂ
- Frazier III leads the league and ranks 10th in the nation in total steals with 66 on the season
- Frazier III is the only player in CUSA to chart top 15 in the league for scoring, assists, steals, blocks and FT%
- Corey Camper Jr. leads the league and ranks 12th in the nation in steals per game (2.44)
- Frazier III ranks second in the league and 22nd in the nation in steals per game (2.20)
- Frazier III finished with a tie for his own school record of eight steals in the team's win over KSU on Jan. 25
- Devon Barnes ranks sixth in CUSA in steals with 41 total and 1.5 per gameÂ
- Ahamad Bynum ranks sixth in CUSA in three-point shooting with 58 total and 2.3 per gameÂ
- Kevin Kalu ranks 15th in the league for rebounding with an average of 5.5 boards per game
- The Miners rank fifth in the nation in turnovers forced per game (16.67) and hold the 10th best turnover margin in the nation (4.6)
- UTEP ranks second in the nation in steals per game with an average of 10.6 per outing
- UTEP ranks 18th in the nation in fastbreak points with 14.67 per outing
- UTEP ranks third in CUSA as a team shooting from beyond the arc with a .367% clip from rangeÂ
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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