HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — WKU Hilltopper Basketball lost to Kennesaw State 96-87 in the Conference USA Championship Quarterfinals on Thursday at Propst Arena at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville, Alabama.
The No. 3-seeded Hilltoppers (18-14) trailed for the majority of the game and rallied to tie the game at 72-all, but eventually fell to the No. 6-seeded Owls (19-13).
WKU was led by Teagan Moore, who finished the game with 27 points and seven rebounds. Grant Newell added 17 points and six rebounds, and LJ Hackman and Armelo Boone each chipped in with double-digit scoring performances at 16 and 11 points, respectively. Boone finished with seven rebounds.
HOWÂ ITÂ HAPPENED
- Kennesaw State took an early 6-0 lead with a pair of 3-pointers, before WKU got on the board with two free throws from Terrion Murdix 1:50 into the quarterfinal matchup.
- The Owls led for the entirety of the first half, pushing the lead to as high as 11 points on four occasions — at the 14:46, the 12:42, the 11:13 and the 9:46 marks in the period — but the Hilltoppers cut the deficit to five heading into halftime with a three free throws from Grant Newell.
- Kennesaw State extended the lead to double figures again in the second half, leading by as many as 12 points twice – with 18:02 to play and with 16:54 remaining.
- Ryan Myers made a 3-pointer to kickstart a 7-1 WKU run that cut the Owls' lead to six with 14:54 remaining. Myers five of his team's seven points during the stretch.
- After Kennesaw State pushed its lead back to eight with under 14 minutes remaining, the Hilltoppers outscored the Owls 15-6 over the next three and a half minutes to make it a one-point game by the 9:37 mark of the second half.
- The Owls made two free throws to go ahead by three, before Teagan Moore connected on a 3-pointer with 8:43 to play to tie the game 72-72. It was the first time the teams were even since the score was 0-0 at the start of the game.
- Kennesaw State retook the lead with two made jumpers and pulled away again over the final eight minutes before closing out the 96-87 victory over the Hilltoppers.
NOTABLES
- WKU finishes the 2025-26 season with an 18-14 overall record and an 11-9 mark in Conference USA play.
- The Hilltoppers' starting lineup featured Terrion Murdix, LJ Hackman, Teagan Moore, Grant Newell and Blaise Keita.
- Announced attendance at Propst Arena was 3,029.
- Four Hilltoppers scored in double figures. Moore led the way with 27, followed by Newell with 17, Hackman with 16 and Armelo Boone with 11.
- Moore's 27 points came on 7-of-14 shooting, including 2-of-4 from downtown, while making 11-of-14 at the charity stripe. He grabbed seven rebounds and dished out two assists in 35 minutes.
- Newell scored 17 points on 4-of-10 shooting, 3-of-8 from 3-point range and 6-of-8 from the line. He added six rebounds and one steal in 31 minutes.
- Hackman tallied 16 points on 4-of-7 from the field, 3-of-4 from beyond the arc and 5-of-6 from the free throw line. He chipped in three rebounds, two assists and one steal in 24 minutes.
- Boone had 11 points, seven rebounds, three steals and two assists in 28 minutes off the bench.
- Ryan Myers added eight points on the bench on 2-of-3 from distance. He made his 47th consecutive free throw before his first miss since Dec. 15, when WKU defeated Campbellsville 102-59. Myers finishes the season with a 91.4% free throw percentage — the highest in a single season in program history. He passes Jim Dunn, who posted a 90.1% free throw percentage in the 1962-63 season.
QUOTABLES
- "First off, a ton of credit to Kennesaw State. They played a great game tonight. They're very well coached, they have great players, they executed, scored in the paint, rebounded the ball, shared the ball, played as championship-level team. So, a lot of credit to them. Obviously, not quite the — especially on the defensive end — performance that we were hoping for. It's going to be hard to win when you allow 96 points. In the last two or three games, it seems like on the defensive end we've struggled a little bit and that certainly showed its face here tonight. Disappointed that this run couldn't go on. This group we've had has had an up-and-down season, but they're a special group that is very connected and has a lot of love and respect for one another. Obviously, we've shown — I don't want to say flashes. We've shown moments this year that proves that we can beat anybody and we came down here with an expectation to win and ultimately, we were not able to do that. So, disappointing night for us. Appreciate all the fans from Bowling Green that made the trip. Their support is very much appreciated and noticed. Disappointed that we couldn't get a win for our community." — Mahurin Family Foundation Head Coach Hank Plona, on the loss to Kennesaw State.
- "I think the beginning of the game they came out and punched us in the mouth. We were just clawing to get back in the game. It felt like that the whole time, and you're never going to win when you're playing like that for 40 minutes, especially against teams of the caliber that are in our conference. They just came out and punched us in the mouth early and we were just playing catchup all game." — G Teagan Moore, on the loss to Kennesaw State.
- "I feel like I showed enough of what I had. I mean, not perfect. I feel like I definitely got better, was able to show more of the type of player that I am. I'm glad I was able to come here. It's just disappointing when you lose your last game. I can't really put it put it into words, but I mean, I I'm glad that I was able to even come here in the first place. I'm just grateful that Coach Hank wanted me and my teammates were supporting me through the ups and downs of the season. It's a lot that y'all don't see. Throughout all of it, they kept me up no matter what my teammates did, Coach Hank did. I'm appreciative of all of them, but it's just hard ending the season a way you don't want to, but I'm grateful that I was able to come here and show what I had." — F Grant Newell, on the loss to Kennesaw State.
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