.png&width=60&height=60&type=webp)
Â
Thursday's win saw five Hilltoppers finish with double figures in the scoring column, with Tyrone Marshall Jr. leading the team's scoring efforts charting 16 points on a 6-of-9 shooting clip from the field and nine rebounds. Khristian Lander posted a 10-point, 11-rebound double-double to lead the team on the boards, and Braxton Bayless led the Tops in assists with three while charting 14 points and six rebounds. Don McHenry finished with 15 points, five rebounds and a pair of assists, surpassing 1000 career points at WKU following the performance. Jack Edelen rounded out the Tops to reach double figures, charting 11 points on a 4-of-5 clip from the field and tying a career high for scoring previously set on Feb. 20 facing Sam Houston.
Â
As a team, the Tops shot the ball at a .500% clip (27-for-54) while holding the Miners to just .295% (18-for-61) from the field and .160% (4-for-25) from beyond the arc. WKU outscored UTEP 44-28 in the paint and 14-5 on fast breaks. The Tops' defense also successfully held the league's ninth-leading scorer in Otis Frazier III to just four points on the night.
Â
HOW IT HAPPENED
After the Miners charted the first points of the game to take a 2-0 lead two minutes in, the Tops ripped off seven straight with a Bayless and one followed by another made jumper by Bayless and a McHenry second-chance floater to enter the first media break leading, 7-2. WKU jumped out to a nine-point, 17-8 lead with a Lander layup off a fast break with 12:40 to play in the first. After a drawn foul on a three-point attempt narrowed the Miners' deficit, the Hilltoppers responded with a 12-0 run to push the lead to 18, 29-11, with 6:37 to play until the half and force a UTEP timeout. UTEP hit on a two-point jumper to cut the Tops' scoring streak, but WKU managed another 9-0 run to increase the team's lead to 25, 38-13, with 3:08 remaining in the first. The 21-2 run by WKU spanned over eight minutes of play before UTEP cut into the Hilltopper lead and brought the margin to 17, 40-23, entering the half.
Â
Bayless accounted for 12 first-half points, hitting on 4-of-8 attempts from the field while grabbing four boards. The Tops' defense limited the Miners to just .219% (7-of-32) from the field and 7.7% (1-of-13) from deep in the first half.
Â
The Miners slowly gathered momentum entering the second half, cutting the Tops' lead to 11, 42-31, at the under-16 media break of the second. A second-chance jumper from Leeroy Odiahi brought the margin back out to 13 before the Miners managed to cut the lead down to single digits, 45-36, for the first time since the 10:23 mark of the first half. The Tops responded with a made pair at the line by McHenry, followed by buckets from McHenry and Edelen to give the Tops a 12-point cushion with 11:26 to play in regulation.
Â
A made three followed by a two-handed jam by UTEP cut the Hilltopper lead down to seven, 54-47, with 9:59 to play. Blaise Keita connected on a layup in the paint to make it a nine-point game before a 5-0 run by the Miners brought the count to 56-52 with 8:52 remaining. A jumper in the paint by the Miners cut the Hilltopper lead to three, 59-56, with 7:33 to play, then a pair at the stripe by McHenry followed by one at the line by the Miners made it a four-point, 61-57 game with 6:57 remaining.Â
Â
The Hilltoppers responded with eight straight to regain a double-digit advantage, as Marshall Jr. hit both at the charity stripe to give WKU a 12-point, 69-57 lead with 4:02 to play. The teams traded buckets for the remainder of the outing with WKU maintaining its lead and closing out the Miners by a final count of 80-73.
Â
NOTABLES
- WKU utilized the starting lineup of Bayless, Keita, McHenry, Jackson and Marshall Jr. for the second time this season. The group is now 2-0.
- The all-time series between the Hilltoppers and the Miners now stands at 13-2.
- Five Hilltoppers charted double figures in the win, with Tyrone Marshall Jr. leading the Tops with 16 points on a 6-of-9 shooting clip from the field and nine rebounds.
- Khristian Lander posted a 10-point, 11-rebound double-double to lead the team on the boards. The performance marks a 15th game of double figures scoring for Lander and seven of the last eight
- Braxton Bayless led the Tops in assists with three while charting 14 points and six rebounds.
- Don McHenry finished with 15 points, five rebounds and a pair of assists. The senior guard has now surpassed 1000 career points at WKU with the point total.
- Jack Edelen tied a career high for scoring with 11 points on a 4-of-5 clip from the field. Edelen previously set a career high of 11 points last week facing Sam Houston on Feb. 20.
- WKU shot the ball at a .500% clip (27-for-54) while holding the Miners to just .295% (18-for-61) from the field and .160% (4-for-25) from beyond the arc.Â
- WKU outscored UTEP 44-28 in the paint and 14-5 on fast breaks.
- The Tops' defense held the league's ninth-leading scorer in Otis Frazier III to just four points on the night.
- WKU improves to 16-12 overall and 7-8 in league play with the win.
NEXT UP
Hilltopper Basketball continues its final road trip of the 2024-25 regular season visiting New Mexico State on Saturday, March 1. Tipoff from Pan American Center in Las Cruces, N.M. is slated for 5 p.m. CT with the game streaming live on ESPN+.
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
