WKU used a dominant close to the first half and timely shot-making down the stretch to secure a 65-60 road win in the 150th meeting with Middle Tennessee. After falling behind early, the Hilltoppers surged in front. Kade Unseld delivered a career-high 17 points, Armelo Boone added 12 points in his return from injury and Blaise Keita anchored the interior with a career-high 14 rebounds and a game-best plus-20 plus-minus.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- WKU managed just three points through the first four minutes as Middle Tennessee raced out to a 14-3 lead with 15:55 remaining in the first half. Kade Unseld accounted for the Hilltoppers' only basket in that span, connecting on a 3-pointer.
- WKU responded with an 8-0 run over the next four minutes to trim the deficit to one possession. Grant Newell sparked the surge with an and-one conversion, followed by Unseld's second triple of the night. Armelo Boone capped the stretch with a layup at the rim to make it 14-11.
- The teams traded baskets over the next seven minutes, with the Blue Raiders holding a 21-18 edge at the 4:32 mark. Ryan Myers contributed a layup and a 3-pointer, while Blaise Keita added a dunk inside.
- The Hilltoppers took control to close the half, using a 12-2 run to head into the locker room up 30-23. Keita opened the run with a layup before Unseld caught fire, scoring eight straight points with back-to-back triples and a midrange jumper. Terrion Murdix finished the half's scoring with a drive to the basket, stretching WKU's lead to seven in the final minute.
- The Hilltoppers pushed their lead to double digits in the opening minute of the second half, as Terrion Murdix and Armelo Boone each converted two-point baskets on WKU's first two possessions. Middle Tennessee responded over the next five minutes, trimming the margin to 36-34 by the 14:27 mark.
- After the Blue Raiders briefly moved in front, 43-41, on a 3-pointer, Unseld answered with his fifth triple of the afternoon to swing the lead back to WKU. The Hilltoppers then put together a 14-2 surge to build a 58-46 advantage with 5:42 remaining, highlighted by a Murdix drive, Boone's second 3-pointer, two free throws from LJ Hackman, a five-point burst from Newell and a Boone dunk.
- Middle Tennessee mounted one last push, pulling within 62-60 with 16 seconds to play, but clutch free throws from Ryan Myers and Blaise Keita sealed a 65-60 Hilltopper victory.
NOTABLES
- WKU improves to 12-10 overall, 5-6 in Conference USA play and 101-49 all-time against Middle Tennessee.
- Today's starting five featured Terrion Murdix, Jack Edelen, LJ Hackman, Kade Unseld and Leeroy Odiahi for the second straight game.
- Three Hilltoppers scored in double figures, as Unseld poured in a career-high 17 points, Armelo Boone added 12 and Grant Newell chipped in 10.
- Unseld delivered a breakout performance with a career-high 17 points, including 14 in the first half, on 6-of-13 shooting while knocking down 5-of-12 from beyond the arc and adding four rebounds and two steals in a career-best 30 minutes.
- Boone provided a major boost in his first game back from an ankle injury, finishing with 12 points on 5-of-12 shooting, including 2-of-4 from deep, to go along with five boards, a block and a steal in 24 minutes.
- Ryan Myers contributed nine points on 3-of-6 shooting while chipping in two rebounds and two assists in 22 minutes.
- Murdix orchestrated the offense with eight points, a team-high seven assists, four rebounds and a steal in 30 minutes of action.
- Blaise Keita dominated the glass with a career-high 14 rebounds and also posted a season high of seven points, along with two steals and a block in a career-best 29 minutes, finishing a game-best plus-20 when on the floor.
- WKU held advantages in points off turnovers (11-7), bench points (38-6), assists (14-12), steals (7-4) and blocks (3-1) while tying Middle Tennessee in fast-break points (4-4).
- The Hilltoppers led for 22:53 compared to the Blue Raiders' 16:28, with three lead changes and one tie.
QUOTABLES
- "I'm so happy for the guys. The players have been working their hearts out for eight months day after day after day. Sometimes you don't realize how much effort you put in and when you lose a couple games, sometimes it seems like the world's collapsing or that all wasn't worth it, but you don't reach ultimate success without going through some struggle. These guys, we've been through a lot, but we've consistently shown ourselves that we are capable of being a great team and it's winning time. We're about to enter February and we've got to start playing our best basketball. I'm really happy that the guys have some positive reinforcement. I can't tell you how happy they were in that locker room. It felt very rewarding for them and as a coach, you're very happy to see that." — Mahurin Family Foundation Head Coach Hank Plona, on the win over Middle Tennessee.
NEXT UP
- WKU begins a stretch of three consecutive home games, starting on Thursday, Feb. 5, against Jax State. Tipoff inside Diddle Arena is scheduled for 8 p.m. CT, with the game airing nationally on CBS Sports Network. Tickets to the game can be purchased HERE.
