WKU Basketball: Toppers Close Exhibition Slate With 96–71 Win Over Kentucky Wesleyan
The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers closed their preseason slate with a convincing 96–71 win over Kentucky Wesleyan at E.A. Diddle Arena on…
The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers closed their preseason slate with a convincing 96–71 win over Kentucky Wesleyan at E.A. Diddle Arena on Saturday.
WKU opened the game with a 10–0 run and never looked back, using an early hot hand from Jared Savage to jump out quickly.
That duo of Bassey and Savage were the story of the first half — the latter with his stellar three-point shooting and the former with, well, being Chalres Bassey.
This was my first taste of watching Bassey (I missed the Campbellsville exhibition) and there was a sequence midway through the first half where he swatted a ball away, ran down the court and threw home a dunk and I realized that I had just been a witness. He’s going to be a special kid.
However, the guy who really caught my eye was Dalano Banton, who got the start in place of the suspended Josh Anderson. Banton’s total statline isn’t eyepoping — he finished with nine points, 10 rebounds and two steals — but he looked fantastic. He took a couple of shots that might have been better off as passes but he can handle, he’s confident when he shoots and I expect big things from him.
Speaking of big things, today was the first look at Taveion Hollingsworth of the 2018/19 season and he didn’t disappoint. He, along with Bassey, led the team with 24 points, he was perfect from the free throw line and he added 10 rebounds (four offensive, six defensive).
While yes, it’s only KWC, this was a better performance than the Tops had against Campbellsville (that take is from today’s tweeter, Matt McCay) and I feel a lot better about what this team could be capable of if they’re without Desean Murray for a long period of time than I was before today’s game.
Overall, my big takeaway is — basketball season is here. It all starts Tuesday night out in Seattle.
If you missed Saturday’s game, you can watch a full replay below.