The Hilltoppers (16-11, 9-7 CUSA) earned a 21-point win over the CUSA-leading Flames (23-4, 15-1 CUSA), behind hot shooting and a balanced scoring effort. WKU shot 52.5% from the field, 47.6% from 3-point range and nearly 96% at the line while placing five players in double figures, led by 21 points apiece from Teagan Moore and Grant Newell, to hand Liberty its  first CUSA loss since March 2, 2025, and snap their 17-game winning streak.
HOW ITÂ HAPPENED
- The early minutes were even as WKU and Liberty traded baskets and entered the first media timeout tied. LJ Hackman opened the scoring for the Hilltoppers with a pair of free throws, followed by a Blaise Keita layup, a Teagan Moore 3-pointer and a Grant Newell drive to the rim. Liberty evened things at 9-9 with a layup at the 15:33 mark.
- The Flames followed with a 13-5 run to take a 22-14 lead midway through the first half, but the Hilltoppers answered right back. WKU rattled off nine straight points behind baskets from Hackman, Newell and Moore, who completed a three-point play and later added two free throws to put WKU in front.
- The teams continued to battle as Newell threw down a dunk, Moore knocked down another 3-pointer and Hackman finished at the rim to give the Hilltoppers a 30-27 advantage with 6:35 left in the half. After Liberty pulled within one, WKU responded with an 8-0 spurt highlighted by two layups from Terrion Murdix and scores from Newell and Armelo Boone, stretching the lead to 38-29.
- WKU carried that momentum into halftime, taking a 48-37 lead behind steady free throw shooting from Moore, Hackman and Newell. Hackman added a late layup and Newell connected from deep to close the half.
- Liberty opened the second half with a 3-pointer, but Hackman quickly countered with a layup before Murdix added another triple. The Flames trimmed the deficit to seven on back-to-back 3-pointers, but Hackman responded once again with two free throws and a triple to push WKU ahead 58-46 with 16:18 remaining.
- The Hilltoppers then took control over the next 10 minutes to build an 88-69 lead with 4:07 to play. Ryan Myers fueled the surge with 10 points on two 3-pointers, a jumper and a pair of free throws, while Newell contributed eight points with two layups and four free throws.
- WKU closed strong as Moore and Myers scored inside and Cade Stinnett sank two free throws to seal a 94-73 road victory.
NOTABLES
- WKU improved to 16-11 overall, 9-7 in Conference USA play and 3-3 all-time against Liberty.
- WKU handed Liberty its first CUSA loss of the season, snapping the Flames' 20-game winning streak against league opponents and their 17-game overall winning streak while also ending their unbeaten home record.Â
- WKU's starting lineup featured Terrion Murdix, LJ Hackman, Teagan Moore, Grant Newell and Blaise Keita — a group that remains unbeaten at 5-0 this season.
- Announced attendance for the game was 3,922.
- Five Hilltoppers scored in double figures, led by Moore and Newell with 21 points apiece. Hackman tied his Division I career high with 17, while Ryan Myers added 12 off the bench and Murdix contributed 10. WKU, which went its first 24 games of the season without multiple 20-point scorers in the same game, has now done so in three straight contests.
- Moore scored 21 points on 6-of-11 shooting, including 3-for-3 from 3-point range and 6-for-7 from the line, and grabbed four rebounds in 31 minutes.
- Newell matched him with 21 points on 7-of-15 shooting and a perfect 6-for-6 from the foul line, adding eight rebounds, three assists and a steal in 33 minutes.
- Hackman finished with 17 points on 5-of-9 shooting and 6-for-6 from the stripe, with two steals in 32 minutes. WKU was a game-best plus-25 with him on the floor.
- Myers scored 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting, including 2-of-4 from deep, and added three rebounds and a steal in 19 minutes off the bench.
- Murdix added 10 points on 4-of-8 shooting, hitting both 3-point attempts while collecting five assists, four rebounds and two steals in 34 minutes.
- Armelo Boone chipped in seven points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals.
- Keita contributed four points, six rebounds and a steal in 16 minutes. The graduate big man has now totaled 58 rebounds over his last seven outings, averaging 8.3 per game in that span.
- WKU shot 52.5% from the field (31-of-59), 47.6% from beyond the arc (10-of-21) and 95.7% at the free-throw line (22-of-23), marking its highest field goal percentage in a CUSA game this season as well as its best 3-point and free-throw shooting performances of the year.
- The Hilltoppers held the advantage in nearly every statistical category, including points off turnovers (21-6), points in the paint (40-38), second-chance points (19-1), fast-break points (14-0), bench points (21-15), rebounds (34-20), assists (14-12) and steals (9-4).
- WKU led for 29:35 and trailed for just 7:15, as the game featured 11 lead changes and five ties.
QUOTABLES
- "It's a good win for our players, for our fans and our community. I'm happy that everybody's able to see how special this group can be. When you have a new team, unfortunately it takes more growing pains than we all hope it does, but I think this team has a lot of potential — I've always believed that. I'm really happy for the guys to come in here and get a win, and hopefully it gets our confidence and our mindset back where it needs to be. I think it's been growing in the right direction the last three or four weeks, but huge win and couldn't be more proud of the guys." — Mahurin Family Foundation Head Coach Hank Plona, on the win over Liberty.
- "Just staying play-by-play, staying moment by-moment. Coach preaches that all the time. Just stay in the moment. Don't think about the last play. Don't think about the next play. Just think about this play. I think we did that very well on both sides of the ball tonight." — G Teagan Moore, on the win over Liberty.
NEXT UP
- WKU returns home for two games, beginning on Thursday, Feb. 26, against New Mexico State. Tipoff inside E.A. Diddle Arena is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT, with the game airing on ESPN+. Tickets to the game 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.
