Hilltoppers Kick Off New Era With 90-64 Win Over Kentucky Wesleyan
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – WKU men’s basketball defeated Kentucky Wesleyan College in the first game of the Steve Lutz era Monday night in E.A. Diddle Arena, 90-64.
Tyrone Marshall Jr. was first to find the bottom of the net 30 seconds into the game off the break. Don McHenry followed by connecting on a layup to put the Hilltoppers ahead 5-0 with 19:01 in the first.
After the Panthers cut the deficit to one, 8-7, the Hilltoppers went on a 6-0 run to take a 14-7 lead. Babacar Faye recorded all six points in the stretch. Fallou Diagne connected on a pair of free throws after being fouled, giving WKU its first double-digit lead of the night, up 20-9 with 10:09 left in the half.
The Panthers connected on a triple cutting the lead to six. A layup and emphatic slam from Faye got the crowd on their feet and extended the lead back to 10 at the under-eight timeout.
KWC then went on an 8-2 run, with four of eight points coming at the foul line, to cut the Hilltopper lead to five with 5:26 remaining in the first. Tyrone Marshall Jr. elevated for a dunk, igniting the crowd and regaining momentum in favor of the Tops. A 6-0 WKU run was capped by a layup from Rodney Howard with 3:10 left in the half leading 32-22.
The Panthers connected on the team’s second triple of the evening with 2:24 left in the period, WKU leading 34-27.
With 1:10 left in the first half, Brandon Newman connected for the Hilltoppers’ first three-pointer of the night to put WKU ahead 37-29. After a layup by the Panthers to beat the buzzer, the Tops went into the locker room at the half up 37-31.
Babacar Faye led the Tops in the first with 12 points to go with seven rebounds and a steal. Three Hilltoppers charted blocks in the first half, two of which came from guards Brandon Newman and Dontaie Allen.
In the second half, the Tops came out firing on all cylinders, jumping out to a 20-point lead following a 14-0 run. The Hilltopper defense held the Panthers scoreless until the 15:31 mark.
Four different Hilltoppers contributed to the run. Brandon Newman led the charge, scoring seven of 14 to go with two defensive boards. The Tops answered every time the Panthers found a basket, maintaining a 15-point lead or greater for the remainder of the outing.
Teagan Moore found his stroke in the second half, notching a triple and stretching the WKU lead to 18 with 10:46 remaining. Marshall Jr. later followed with another emphatic dunk, then a steal, as he found Moore on the other end who connected on another three with 8:21 to play.
WKU connected on three more triples in the final 5:41 of the game with two of them from Khristian Lander.
Jaylen Dorsey became the 11th and final Hilltopper to record a point in the game, sinking a pair of free throws with 38 seconds left, putting the finishing touches on a 90-64 win.
The Hilltoppers return to action on Thursday, Nov. 9 for a road matchup facing Wichita State. Tipoff from Charles Koch Arena in Wichita, Kan. is slated for 6:30 p.m. CT with ESPN+ set to broadcast the event.
