WKU Basketball: Hilltoppers Outlast Rhode Island 68–65.
WKU Basketball’s home swing continued on Sunday afternoon as they overcame a flurry of turnovers to survive a quality Rhode Island squad…
WKU Basketball’s home swing continued on Sunday afternoon as they overcame a flurry of turnovers to survive a quality Rhode Island squad holding on for a 68–65 Victory.
The first half was a sloppy turnover-filled mess as each team combined for 22 turnovers (11 each). The Hilltoppers would start the game on a 9–0 run over the first five minutes. The Rams clawed back against the Hilltopper backups and retook the lead 21–20.
From there the Hilltoppers would end the half on an 11–3 run to take a 33–27 lead into the locker room. The Hilltoppers would outshoot the Rams 47.8% to 36.7% in the first half.
Rhode Island came out of the locker room ready to play as Fatts Russell started the half on his own 5–0 run to cut the Hilltopper lead to 1. The Hilltoppers responded with a 9–0 run of their own to extended the lead back out to double digits at the 16-minute mark.
The Hilltopper lead would balloon to 11 but the Rams wouldn’t go away. Rhode Island would take advantage of some questionable substitution patterns by Stansbury cutting the lead down to 1 at the eight-minute mark.
The Rams retook the lead on their next possession and the teams continued to exchange the lead as the Hilltoppers clung to a 55–54 lead at the under four timeout.
The Hilltoppers used a clutch, Josh Anderson three pointer and double bonus free throws to extend their lead to five at the 1:35 mark.
A poor foul by Charles Bassey on a three-point attempt by Russell spurned a five-point run that tied it up at 54. Charles Bassey would then tip in a Rawls miss to help the Hilltoppers cling to a 2 point lead with 11 seconds left.
Rhode Island would draw a Bassey foul (his fifth) and would make one of two as the Hilltoppers clung to a 1 point lead with 5.1 seconds left. Taveion Hollingsworth would go to the line and make both to extend the lead to three.
The Hilltoppers would foul with 1.9 seconds left sending Russell to the line but he missed the front end of the one and one and WKU would hang on for a 68–65 Win to move to 5–2 on the season.
Here are some thoughts on today’s crucial nonconference victory:
Charles Bassey continues to be the bedrock of this team as he finished with 13 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 blocks. It’s great to see him take his game to the next level as you can tell he’s way more assertive demanding the ball late in games.
Josh Anderson’s recent run of strong play continued as he finished with 15 points and 5 rebounds. After harping on it last game, it was great seeing Stansbury trust Anderson late in the game.
Isiah Cozart did a great job spelling Bassey in the first half finishing with 2 points, 4 rebounds, and a block in 9 minutes. Stans needs to use Cozart more to spell Bassey into the second half as he is one of the few players that provide a rim-protecting presence other than Bassey.
Turnovers were a massive problem today as WKU lost the battle 17–15. They made up for it in other areas but that problem needs to be reduced if this team is ever going to live up to its potential.
WKU won the game at the free-throw line making 21–26 on the day. That’s classic Stansball as they attempted 11 more shots than URI and made 10 more on the day.
Carson Williams continues to struggle mightily. He just looks tired out there and can’t break out of his slump. He finished with just 3 points and 4 rebounds. Stansbury needs to give him some extended rest when it’s not his day and lean on other players such as Osawe or Cozart to spell his minutes.
Jordan Rawls staked a solid claim on the point guard spot finishing with 11 points and 2 assists and he did a great job of finding Bassey for some easy looks. Rawls is the best combination of athleticism and upside at the point guard and his 23 minutes were a welcomed sign.
Dayvion McKnight struggled with turnovers (4) but more than made up with his offensive production (9 points and 2 assists). Stansbury had him on the floor during the game crucial last four minutes.
WKU continues to dominate the glass, winning the rebounding battle 38–28.
URI didn’t go off from deep as they only shot 33% (6–18) from three-point range. WKU also didn’t fall in love with it today only making 25% (3–12) on the day.
Rhode Island might only be 3–4 after today but you can tell they’re talented. Hopefully, they can go on a run as the season progresses so they can continue to be a resume-building win (current KenPom ranking 78) for the Hilltoppers.
Today’s game puts WKU in a good position with their nonconference resume as they now sit at 5–2. They only have one more nonconference game currently scheduled (they’re actively trying to find one more). They’ll host Tennessee Tech (0–5) on December 22nd at 6 PM on ESPNU.
Here are your final stats from today’s big home win.