BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – WKU men's basketball closes its 2024-25 regular-season slate of competition with a matchup hosting Liberty for Senior Day on Saturday, March 8. Tipoff from E.A. Diddle Arena in Bowling Green, Ky. is slated for 2 p.m. CT with the game set to stream live on ESPN+.
The Hilltoppers enter the game facing the Flames standing at 17-13 overall with an 8-9 record in Conference USA play and coming off a 76-67 win over FIU on Thursday. Don McHenry led the Tops' scoring effort with a 13th game of 20-plus points for the year, charting 20 points with a game and season-best five assists. Khristian Lander finished with 19 points on a 5-of-11 shooting clip and 3-of-6 mark from three-point range, adding a game-high four steals with three rebounds and a pair of assists.
Tyrone Marshall Jr. pulled down a game-high of nine boards while charting 11 points, four assists and a steal. Braxton Bayless rounded out the Tops to score in double figures on the night, charting 10 points on a 4-of-7 shooting clip from the field with a 2-of-3 mark from range. WKU connected on 12 threes as a team, including nine in the first half, to mark the 10th game with 10-or-more made threes for the team this season. The made three-point total is the most for the Tops since the 2022-23 season.
Liberty enters the game at 24-6 overall with a 12-5 conference record and coming off an 86-81 road win over Middle Tennessee last time out. Taelon Peter led the Flames' scoring output with 33 points on 11-of-14 shooting from the field with a 3-of-6 clip from range and a perfect 8-of-8 mark at the charity stripe. Peter added six boards, one assist, one block and a game-high three steals in the win over the Blue Raiders. The Flames look to clinch the No. 1 overall seed at the 2025 CUSA Championship and at least a share of the CUSA regular season title with a win on Saturday.
GAME INFO
WKU (17-13, 8-9 CUSA) vs. Liberty (24-6, 12-5 CUSA)
Saturday, March 8 | 2 p.m. CT
E.A. Diddle Arena | Bowling Green, Ky.
Watch: ESPN+ (Tyler Eaton & Hal Schmitt)
Listen: Hilltopper Sports Radio Network | 100.7-FM (WKLX)/Varsity Network
Live Stats: Sidearm Stats | StatBroadcast
Tickets: WKUTickets.com | 1-800-5-BIG RED
Game Notes: Media Center
ABOUT THE TOPS
- WKU currently ranks third in CUSA in scoring at 75.8 points per game
- WKU holds a 13-4 record at home this season with a 5-3 home record in league play
- WKU is currently 14th in the nation in adjusted tempo with an average of 72.1 possessions per 40 minutes
- WKU ranks 16th in the nation in defensive rebounding with 27.80 per contest
- The Tops rank 44th in the nation in steals with 8.3 per contest and a total of 248 on the year
- WKU ranks 40th in the nation in FG% defense, limiting opponents to a .409% clip shooting from the field
- Don McHenry leads the Hilltoppers and ranks fifth in CUSA for scoring at 17.3 points per contest; McHenry's 45 steals (1.5/G) are seventh most in CUSA
- McHenry holds the conference's eighth-best FG% (min # attempts) at .405%
- McHenry touts the third-highest free throw percentage in CUSA with a .835% (111-of-133) mark from the stripe
- McHenry's 61 made three-pointers are 11th most in CUSA
- Khristian Lander ranks 18th in CUSA in scoring with 11.9 points per contest
- Lander has posted double figures scoring in eight of 10 contests and 16 total contests for the season
- Tyrone Marshall Jr. leads WKU and ranks third in CUSA for defensive rebounding with 167 (5.6/G) for the year, good for 81st in the nation; the graduate forward also leads the team and charts seventh in the league in total rebounds with 195 (6.5/G) for the year
- Marshall Jr. charts second on the team and 17th in CUSA in total blocks with 19 for the year; Marshall Jr. also charts 15th in the league in steals with 37 total for the year
- Leeroy Odiahi leads WKU and ranks 11th in CUSA in total blocks with 27 for the year
- Braxton Bayless leads WKU and ranks 17th in CUSA in assists with a total of 65 (2.2/G) for the year
- Jalen Jackson ranks second on the team and 19th in CUSA in assists with a total of 64 (2.1/G) for the year
- Jackson's 37 steals are good for 14th most in CUSA
SERIES INFORMATION
WKU holds a 2-1 all-time record against Liberty in a series that began last season in the Flames' first year competing in CUSA. The Tops previously faced off against the Flames on Jan. 2 earlier this season and posted a 71-70 road victory in Lynchburg to open league play. The Hilltoppers defeated the Flames, 70-68, at home on Jan. 6 of 2023-24 for the first-ever meeting between the programs. The teams finished the year with a split in competition as WKU fell on the road in Lynchburg on March 9, 82-79, to close the regular season.
SCOUTING THE FLAMES
- Liberty enters Saturday's game as the current league-leader at 24-6 overall and 12-5 in CUSA
- The Flames rank first in CUSA for defense, limiting opponents to 62.4 points per contest
- Liberty averages 75.7 points per outing, good for fourth in CUSA, and holds the league's top scoring margin at 13.4
- Liberty holds the league's top team FG% at .487% and second-highest team 3FG% at .377%
- Liberty leads CUSA in made three-pointers with 305 total for the year and 10.2 per contest, while holding opponents to .276% shooting from beyond the arc, the lowest mark in CUSA
- The Flames hold the league's top assist/turnover ratio at 1.61
- Taelon Peter charts as the 12th leading scorer in CUSA at 13.5 points per contest and 405 total for the year
- Kaden Metheny charts as the 13th leading scorer in CUSA at 13.1 points per contest and 379 total for the year
- Zach Cleveland charts eighth in the league for rebounding with 6.5 per contest and has charted the ninth-most blocks in CUSA with 26 total
- Cleveland ranks second in the league in assists with 5.0 per contest and 136 total for the year
- Colin Porter ranks fourth in the league in assists with 4.1 per contest and 124 total for the year
- Porter ranks third in CUSA in steals with 1.7 per contest and 50 total for the year
AT THE GAME
Saturday's game will serve as Senior Day for Hilltopper Basketball, with 13 seniors and graduates being honored in a pregame ceremony. Braxton Bayless, Blaise Keita, Don McHenry, Jalen Jackson, Khristian Lander, Babacar Faye, Fallou Diagne, Terrion Murdix, Leeroy Odiahi, Jaylen Dorsey, Enoch Kalambay, Tyrone Marshall Jr. and Tyler Olden will all be recognized prior to the game. For tickets to Saturday's Senior Day game, visit WKUTickets.com or call 1-800-5-BIG RED.
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.
