WKU Basketball: Hilltoppers Hold Off North Texas, 62–59
Western Kentucky took a 15-point lead into the halftime break and survived several North Texas runs, including the Mean Green hitting six…
Western Kentucky took a 15-point lead into the halftime break and survived several North Texas runs, including the Mean Green hitting six of their final eight shots, to hold off UNT, 62–59, as the Tops won their seventh game in their last eight outings.
Neither half started well for either side, with the Tops matching North Texas’ pace going up and down the floor but shots were hard to come by be it shot selection or bad luck.
North Texas ripped a mini-run of 17–7 to open the second half of the game, pulling within 40–32, but the Tops evened the game out, allowing the game to fluctuate from anywhere a five-point to nine-point lead for WKU.
That was really the story of the second half; right as it felt like we may be witnessing another epic collapse, the Tops would get a stop (or, rather, UNT would miss a three) and score on the other end to regain control of the game.
Inside the final minute of the second half, UNT ran quick offenses to get shots up and ended up making just about all of them, but the Tops were able to hit all but two free throws down the stretch (their only two missed free throws of the game) to seal the deal in a three-point win.
It was a sloppy start to the game, with the game literally starting with a jump ball after the opening tip, but the Tops were quick to get their feet under them, feeding bodies down low as Charles Bassey scored six of the first eight points of the game for WKU.
The Tops’ first 20 points also came from layups or dunks, with Bassey netting the first made “jumper,” to give the Tops a 22–9 lead.
Defensively, the Tops were stout, holding UNT to just 21% shooting and kept them from free opportunities, sending the Mean Green to the free throw line just once.
The first half ended with a bang, as Taveion Hollingsworth hit a buzzer beater from behind the midcourt logo to give the Tops a 15-point halftime advantage, 30–15, the lowest first-half point total this year for the Mean Green.
Especially coming off of an overtime road game, the Tops’ performance was strong tonight; they were opportunistic in the first half, taking advantage of a poor shooting opponent and making buckets in the early stages of the game to pace themselves to a win (as hectic as it may have felt at times in the second half).
Final Thoughts
Despite playing 34 minutes, Lamonte Bearden wasn’t much of a factor. He finished with eight points, half of which came from the free throw line in the final minute of the game, and four rebounds. He did dish out six assists, but I literally didn’t realize this until I looked at the final box score. He didn’t factor much outside of playing essentially all game long.
Josh Anderson wasn’t much of a factor either, this evening, despite logging 33 minutes.
Charles Bassey was his usual stud self tonight; he led the team with 18 points and finished with seven rebounds (outdone only by eight from Tolu Smith). The Toppers were most successful when they were feeding Bassey down low in the first half (I know it’s shocking to hear) and he was also effective off the ball, coming to the top of the key to set picks. This is when WKU is at their best — when Bassey is all over the floor and finishing inside. We’ve seen it all season, and we saw it tonight.
Maybe it’s me, or maybe it’s because his first half was more exciting than the second, but Taveion Hollingsworth, despite scoring 14 points, wasn’t much of a factor. Okay, I take that back — it’s definitely the latter: He was incredibly effective in the first half, including hitting the eventual game-winning bucket at the buzzer.
Jake Ohmer played 13 minutes, but it felt like he played closer to 20.
It’s a strong win for the Tops, especially under the direction of head coach Marc Hsu, and the Tops return home from Texas with a 2–0 swing.
Final Stats
