WKU Basketball: Tops Blow Out Campbellsville 109–66 . Move to 4–0.
In their final tuneup before the Paradise Jam, WKU overcame a closer than expected first half and blew out Campbellsville 109–66 in front…
In their final tuneup before the Paradise Jam, WKU overcame a closer than expected first half and blew out Campbellsville 109–66 in front of 4,134 fans at E.A. Diddle Arena.
WKU came out red hot jumping out to a 9–0 lead barely two minutes into the game. Campbellsville wouldn’t roll over as they would tie it up at 16 before taking the lead. Lead by MTSU transfer David Simmons (10 first half points) the Tigers wouldn’t go away trading the lead four times and leading by as much as four points (46% first half shooting). WKU’s lackadasical defensive effort helped the Tigers hang around until the last four minutes of the first half. WKU would then turn a one point lead to a 14 point lead on the strength of six first half three’s as the Tops would take a 54–41 lead to the locker room.
The Hilltopper lead would fluctuate between 12 and 16 before a Taveion Hollinsworth and 1 would break the game open. From there WKU’s 13–1 run would extend the lead to 26 with 12:09 remaining. Stansbury would then mix in his backups with his starters and the lead would continue to build as the Tops would lead by as much as 43 as the Tigers went ice cold and the Toppers were red hot offensively (64.5% shooting). WKU outscored the Tigers by 30 in the second half as they topped the century mark in an easy 109–66 win moving the Hilltopper to 4–0 on the season.
Here are a few post game thoughts from tonight’s easy win:
Carson Williams was a monster today. He finished with 27 points and 5 rebounds on 11–13 shooting. His motor stood out against the outmanned Tigers.
Turnovers continued to be a problem for WKU as they finished with 11. It was no coincidence that they went on their big run as they secured the ball
Jared Savage played and showed zero signs of the ankle injury that took him out of the EKU game. He shot 4–7 and made three three’s on the game.
Charles Bassey had an easy 15 points (6–7 shooting) despite being in foul trouble
WKU’s Three point shooting got hot for one game. They shot 46.2% from deep (12–26) with six different players hitting a three. That is encouraging considering they were daring them to shoot.
WKU outrebounded the undersized Tigers 44–31 which was as expected.
WKU even killed it from the free throw stripe hitting 85 % on the night (17/20)
Matt Horton got his first minutes of the season and looked good finishing with 6 rebounds, 4 blocks, 4 points and 2 assists. Stansbury needs to continue to give him a shot to show he can give Bassey some much needed rest.
The first half defensive effort left a lot to be desired. Luckily the dominant second half erased those struggles from most peoples minds.
Jeremiah Gambrell hit his second three in as many games. I think he’ll have a few unexpected shooting moments this season
WKU (4–0) returns to action on Friday night as they travel to the Virgin Islands for the Paradise Jam. They’ll take on preseason MAC favorite Bowling Green (3–1) to open the three game tournament with a chance to play Cincinnati in round 2.
Here are your final stats from tonight’s victory
