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WKU (18-11, 11-7 CUSA) kept its late-season surge rolling with a 32-point win over UTEP (10-19, 6-12 CUSA), riding a blistering offensive performance. The Hilltoppers shot a season-high 59.3% from the field and 45.0% from deep, while closing the game with a 25-5 run to secure their third consecutive win by at least 20 points. Grant Newell, Teagan Moore and LJ Hackman powered a balanced effort with 25, 24 and 21 points, respectively, as part of a historic night that saw three Hilltoppers score 20-plus in the same game for the first time since 2007. Ryan Myers added 13 points off the bench, while Terrion Murdix dished out a season-high nine assists.
HOW ITÂ HAPPENED
- It was a high-octane start as WKU and UTEP traded buckets to an early 8-8 tie just two minutes in. LJ Hackman and Teagan Moore attacked the rim for quick scores, while Grant Newell answered a pair of Miner 3-pointers with one of his own. The Hilltoppers then seized control with an 11-0 run, sparked by paint touches from Moore, Blaise Keita and Hackman, and capped the run with another Newell triple. WKU led 19-8 with 15:50 left in the opening half.
- The offensive rhythm continued as Armelo Boone finished inside and Ryan Myers buried his first 3-pointer midway through the period. The Hilltoppers stretched the lead to 17, answering nearly every Miner push. Hackman and Newell poured in seven apiece during the stretch, while Moore added six more to help WKU take a 47-30 advantage with 4:16 remaining.
- UTEP closed the half with a 9-2 spurt, trimming the lead to 49-39 at the break. Moore provided the lone Hilltopper basket down the stretch before halftime.
- Both teams kept pace early in the second half, but WKU kept up the offensive onslaught. Hackman, Moore and Newell combined for the team's first 23 second-half points. Hackman sparked things with four quick points before Newell and Moore drained back-to-back 3-pointers. Newell added an and-one finish, then Moore sank two at the line. Newell later ignited the crowd with a pair of dunks, one off an alley-oop, as Moore capped a fast break and added two free throws of his own. The Hilltoppers stretched the lead to 72-59 with just over 10 minutes to play.
- From there, WKU slammed the door with a 25-5 closing run. Myers opened the burst with a layup before Moore, Hackman and Terrion Murdix combined for six free throws. Myers then drilled back-to-back treys, followed by a four-point run from Hackman. Boone buried a 3-pointer to put WKU ahead by 30 at 93-63, then added two more at the line. Jack Edelen capped the game with a late layup to seal the Hilltoppers' 97-65 victory over UTEP.
NOTABLES
- WKU improved to 18-11 overall, 11-7 in Conference USA play and 15-2 all-time against UTEP. The Hilltoppers cap their home slate with a 12-4 record inside Diddle Arena with the win.Â
- The win marks WKU's sixth win in a row. The program's longest streak since winning six in a row from Nov. 30-Dec. 21 during the 2024-25 season.
- The 32-point victory marks WKU's third straight win by 20 points or more. The last time the Hilltoppers accomplished this was in 2007-08 when they opened the season beating Kennesaw State (96-61), Kentucky Wesleyan (88-67) and Murray State (87-63).
- The last time WKU accomplished three straight wins of 20 points or more over conference opponents was during the 1994-95 season. The Hilltoppers defeated South Alabama (85-64), New Orleans (81-57) and Lamar (95-61) from Jan. 11-16.
- With the win, WKU earns its 11th victory in CUSA play. The Hilltoppers are guaranteed to finish above .500 in conference play for the first time since 2021-22.
- WKU's starting lineup featured Terrion Murdix, LJ Hackman, Teagan Moore, Grant Newell and Blaise Keita — a group that remains unbeaten at 7-0 this season.
- Announced attendance for the game was 4,547 — a season-high for Diddle Arena.
- Four Hilltoppers finished in double figures, with three topping the 20-point mark for the first time in nearly two decades. Newell led the charge with 25 points, followed by Moore with 24 and Hackman with 21. Ryan Myers added a spark off the bench with 13. It marked the first time since Nov. 13, 2007, that WKU featured three 20-point scorers in the same game.
- Newell poured in 25 points on 8-of-13 shooting, drilling 4-of-8 from deep and 5-of-6 at the stripe while adding seven rebounds in 29 minutes. It marked his fifth 20-plus-point performance of the season and included his milestone 1,000th career point in the win over UTEP.
- Moore totaled 24 points on 8-of-10 shooting, making his only 3-point attempt and adding 7-of-8 at the free throw line. He grabbed five rebounds and dished out two assists in 34 minutes. He has posted five straight 20-point outings since returning from injury.
- Hackman scored a Division I career-high 21 points on 7-of-11 shooting, including 7-of-8 at the line. He added four assists and three rebounds while collecting a steal in 29 minutes.
- Myers once again gave WKU a spark off the bench with 13 points in 26 minutes, going 5-of-12 from the field and 3-of-7 from 3-point range while chipping three rebounds.
- Armelo Boone contributed seven points, four rebounds and one steal off the bench.
- Murdix finished with a season-high nine assists, three points, two rebounds, a block and a steal in 27 minutes. It's his sixth straight game with five or more assists.
- WKU shot a season-high 59.3% (32-of-54)Â from the field, 45.0% (9-of-20)Â from beyond the arc and 85.7% (24-of-28) at the free throw line. WKU has shot over 40.0% from the field in five straight games, including over 50.0% in the last three games.
- The Hilltoppers held the advantage in nearly every statistical category, including points off turnovers (22-12), points in the paint (46-18), fast-break points (17-6), bench points (22-7), rebounds (36-29), assists (21-10) and steals (7-6).
- WKU led for 38:23 and trailed for just 1:03. The game featured three lead changes and just one tie.
QUOTABLES
- "As a coach on a Senior Day after a couple big wins, you hope that the game kind of goes like that, but usually you know better. I thought we got off to a great start, which was good to see. Sometimes when you're out of rhythm, that can be a challenge. We got off to a great start, and I thought the middle 20 minutes of the game was back and forth. Both teams really struggled to stop each other, but I thought we completed that game. We went a little full-court defense, went a little zone there late the last 12 to 15 minutes or so, and that seemed to take them out of their rhythm and prevent them from just plowing it at us to the rim and getting fouled. So obviously, I thought we stretched it from 10 to whatever it ended up being at the end by doing that. I thought the guys' intent was correct. I thought their focus, obviously this last month plus, has been very, very good and I know it's very rewarding for them to see some wins like this and hopefully it gives us a belief in what we're capable of doing here these next few weeks. So, very proud of the guys. It's a real team effort. I thought our ultimate strength today was that we really played as a group, as a team, as a family, as a unit —whatever words you want to use to say that. When five guys are all thinking the same thing, nobody's really thinking and the game gets pretty easy, and that's kind of what it looked like a little bit on both ends today. So, it's a process to get a team to look like that, but very proud the guys have chosen to buy in and play for the name on the front of that jersey and get a couple big wins. I'm very impressed by what they were able to accomplish today." — Mahurin Family Foundation Head Coach Hank Plona, on the Senior Day win over UTEP.
- "It means a lot to me. This is my only year here and this is really the only place I've ever been able to play and have this role. Shout out to Coach Hank because Coach Hank saw my film when a lot of people probably wouldn't allow me to have this role. He saw through that and allowed me to be me throughout this entire time and has instilled confidence in me. My teammates and the fans have been great. It's been an honor and I love it here." — F Grant Newell, on achieving 1,000 career points on Senior Day in the win over UTEP.
- "I think it's just people being more comfortable in their roles. Like Grant said, we had that stretch where we were down a lot of bodies and I think we kind of just solidified what we needed to do on the offensive end of the court. Guys got some confidence and then now we get healthy, we get bodies back and now you see the effect of that. We're just more connected than we've been all year on the offensive end and you can see it, putting up close to 90 points in four straight games." — G Teagan Moore, on the win on Senior Day over UTEP.
NEXT UP
- WKU will hit the road for its final two games, starting on Thursday, March 5, at Missouri State. Tipoff inside Great Southern Bank Arena in Springfield, Missouri, is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT, with the game airing on ESPN+.
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.
