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The Hilltoppers (10-6, 3-2 CUSA) and Miners (5-11, 1-4 CUSA) went back and forth early, before WKU seized control late in the second half to pull away for the 12-point road win. Teagan Moore led the charge off the bench with 19 points, seven rebounds and three steals, while Armelo Boone anchored the interior with nine points and a career-high 14 boards.
HOW ITÂ HAPPENED
- WKU and UTEP traded baskets early, sitting even at 12-12 at the 14-minute mark. Ryan Myers opened the scoring with a 3-pointer on the Hilltoppers first possession, followed by layups from Noah Boyde, Terrion Murdix and Teagan Moore, while LJ Hackman converted an and-one.
- The two teams continued to exchange the lead over the next six minutes before the Miners went ahead 23-19. Moore, Boyde and Murdix added baskets inside, and Hackman chipped in a free throw to keep WKU within reach.
- WKU tied the game twice late in the first half, at 25-25 and 29-29. Hackman knocked down a jumper, Moore finished another layup and Myers sank two free throws to even things up at 25. Later, a Hackman jumper and an Armelo Boone basket in the paint made it 29-29. UTEP then closed the half on a 6-2 spurt to take a 35-31 lead into the break.
- Boone opened the second half with a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to one, but UTEP responded with its largest lead at 41-36. The Hilltoppers battled back to take a 42-41 advantage as Blaise Keita converted an and-one and Moore drilled a corner triple.
- After a UTEP 3-pointer briefly swung the lead back, a Boyde free throw and a trey from Grant Newell pushed WKU back in front, 46-43, with 13:39 to play.
- Moore added two free throws, Murdix scored at the rim and Keita hit one at the line to build a 51-45 lead. The Miners rallied again to tie it at 51-51 with 8:46 left.
- From there, the Hilltoppers seized control, closing the game on a 17-5 run. Moore sparked the surge with five straight points before a Newell free throw and a Boyde layup added to the lead. Boone followed with a put-back dunk, Moore attacked the basket for another layup and Newell threw down a jam before Boone capped the game at the line, sealing a 68-56 road victory for WKU.
NOTABLES
- WKU improves to 10-6 overall, 3-2 in Conference USA play and 14-2 all-time against UTEP.
- Tonight's starting five featured Terrion Murdix, Ryan Myers, Armelo Boone, Cam Haffner and Noah Boyde.
- The announced attendance was 4,392.
- Teagan Moore led the Hilltoppers with a team-best 19 points, going 7-of-8 from the field and a perfect 2-for-2 from beyond the arc. He added seven rebounds, three steals and two assists in 25 minutes off the bench.
- Boone nearly posted his third-career double-double with nine points and a career-high 14 rebounds while also tallying two assists, two steals and two blocks in 36 minutes.
- Murdix filled the stat sheet with eight points, four rebounds, a season-high four steals and two assists in 23 minutes.
- LJ Hackman provided a spark off the bench with eight points on 3-of-5 shooting while adding two steals in 21 minutes.
- Boyde contributed seven points on 3-of-4 shooting along with seven rebounds and a block in 21 minutes.
- Myers had seven points while adding two rebounds and two assists in 24 minutes.
- Grant Newell added six points, four rebounds and a block in 24 minutes off the bench.
- Blaise Keita finished with four points, three rebounds and two steals in 16 minutes.
- The Hilltoppers led in points off turnovers (20-3), points in the paint (34-18), second chance points (12-4), fast-break points (11-6), bench points (37-15), rebounds (44-37), assists (11-9) and steals (13-6).
- WKU led for 18:01, while UTEP held the advantage for 17:01. There were 10 lead changes and eight ties.
QUOTABLES
- "I'm just really proud of the guys, really happy to get the win. You know, seeing Terrion out here obviously gives us a boost and helps us, and we were able to make some winning plays down the stretch that are difficult to do. That UTEP team is fighting for their life and they were 5-2 at home coming into this game and they're a good team, so obviously when it got tied there, we had a little lead, I think maybe tied at 51, to close the game, on whatever run that is, that's what winners do. Terrion made a lot of great plays. I thought we showed our toughness and our resolve and hopefully we keep on getting better from this."  — Mahurin Family Foundation Head Men's Basketball Coach Hank Plona, on the win at UTEP.
NEXT UP
- WKU returns to Bowling Green for a three-game homestand, starting on Wednesday, Jan. 14 against Missouri State. Tipoff inside E.A. Diddle Arena is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT. The game will stream live on ESPN+ and tickets can be purchased HERE.
How to follow WKU Hilltopper Basketball: For complete information on WKU Hilltopper Basketball, visit WKUSports.com or follow the program via social media @WKUBasketball on Instagram and X.
