WKU Basketball: Hilltoppers Can’t Hold 15-Point Lead, Fall to Marshall, 70–69
For the second time in as many matchups, Western Kentucky and Marshall came down to the final play of the game and ended in a one-point…
For the second time in as many matchups, Western Kentucky and Marshall came down to the final play of the game and ended in a one-point Thundering Herd victory as Marshall ended the game on an 18–8 run and moved to 3–0 in Conference USA play with a 70–69 victory.
Marshall’s three wins in conference play have come by a combined five points.
WKU played one of their best defensive halves of the season in the first half, holding the Herd to 33% shooting in the opening 20 minutes but Marshall exploded to shoot 53% from the floor in the second half while the Tops were held to just 40%.
Compare that to 54.8% shooting from the floor for the Hilltoppers. That’s…pretty much all you need to know.
Before we get into the details, I will say — it was a slow death for the Tops. There wasn’t a quick run by Marshall (say, of 12 or so points) that made it feel like the momentum was swinging out of WKU’s favor. It took all 20 minutes (well, 19:40) for things to really sink in.
Okay, to the nitty gritty.
Marshall took their first lead since 15:30ish to play in the first half on a Jannson Williams three with 19 seconds to play.
WKU had the chance to score the game winning bucket with 4.9 seconds left but Lamonte Bearden couldn’t hit Charles Bassey on the floating pass and Josh Anderson couldn’t put the rushed jumper back, sealing the Herd victory.
The game started slowly for the Hilltoppers as Marshall opened the game on a 7–2 run on a couple of quick baskets from Williams and Jon Elmore but the Tops began to work their interior offense to eventually take an 11–10 lead.
WKU blew the game open midway through the first half, going on a 29–18 run fueled mostly by fast break chances and points in the paint: 20 of the Tops’ first 33 points came in the paint.
The athleticism of Anderson and Bassey were on full display before Bassey left the game after suffering a leg contusion, but he was able to return to the second half.
In today’s preview, I talked about two things — how Dalano Banton plays on the big stage and how Stansbury uses his bench.
On the former of those points, Banton looked okay for long stretches, but was shakey in others (thanks to some strong and opportunistic defense from the Herd). But, he continued to do what he’s needed — he distributed the ball well (two assists) and made decisions well. Overall, he gets a passing grade.
As for Stansbury using his bench, he was much better getting players in — I count eight players who saw time, and the least amount of time was seen by Jake Ohmer (10 minutes.)
However, my one gripe was with how he continued to play Jared Savage despite his freezing cold shooting — Savage finished with two points and saw 33 minutes, the third-most for the Tops and finished with a net +/- of -1.
It’s a tough loss but the game became as good as we all thought it would. Opening conference play 1–2 is far from a death sentence and it isn’t like this loss kills an at-large bid.
Overall, there were flashes of brilliance and flashes of a team still needing to find their way.
Final Thoughts
There’s not much to say in the immediate aftermath of this one. I will say Bassey looked good in the second half after missing the last eight or so minutes of the first with his knee contusion.
This stat…just depresses me.
If you’re looking for some good news, the Hilltoppers have outscored the Herd 80–70 over the last 63:27 of game play time.
Final Stats
