WKU Basketball: Tops Handle Herd 91–84, Move to 7–1 in CUSA
WKU Basketball returned home to face rival Marshall for the second time in 4 days. The Tops would jump to a 14 point lead but would have…
WKU Basketball returned home to face rival Marshall for the second time in 4 days. The Tops would jump to a 14 point lead but would have to withstand some hot second-half shooting by the Herd as they held on for a 91–84 win in front of 6270 at E.A. Diddle Arena.
The first half was full of offensive fireworks as each team shot well. Both teams traded baskets early before WKU gave themselves some daylight in the last 5 minutes of the half as WKU shot 53.8% from the floor as three Hilltoppers had double figures (Rawls, Hollingsworth & Williams) in the first half alone. WKU would take a 50–40 lead into the locker room.
That momentum would continue into the second half as WKU would quickly extend the lead to 14 in the first few minutes but Marshall wouldn’t go away. The Herd would slowly chip away as they slowed down the game and nailed some clutch threes to cut the lead to five with 13 minutes to play.
Cam Justice would stop the bleeding with a big corner three-pointer but Marshall wouldn’t let the Hilltoppers extend the lead. The margin would vacillate between 5 & 8 until the Herd would cut the lead to 74–71 with 5:57 remaining as WKU’s offense sputtered and settled for bad shots.
The Hilltoppers would continue to cling to a small lead as Taveion Hollingsworth went to the free-throw line with 2:50 remaining. He would make both and WKU extended their lead to 83–77.
Jared Savage would extend the lead to eight but Jared West would drain a clutch three-pointer to keep the Herd in the game. After a Hollingworth turnover, Marshall would miss three attempts to cut into the lead and the game was as good as over as Hollingsworth went to the line with 35 seconds left.
The teams would trade free throws over the thirty seconds and WKU survived with a 91–84 victory moving to 14–6 and 7–1 in CUSA.
Here are some final thoughts on tonight’s important home win
Jordan Rawls was really good tonight. He did most of his damage in the first half but 15 points, 2 rebounds and only 2 turnovers show how important he is to this team. The offense flows much better with him running the point and the reduced turnovers give this team a little margin for error.
Taveion Hollingsworth finished with 18 points, 6 assists, and 3 rebounds. If he can continue this run he’s on he’s definitely on the CUSA Player of the Year shortlist.
WKU won the turnover battle 16–10. It’s no coincidence that wins have followed when this team reduces turnovers to just decent levels. When they get them to single digits it’s when they blow teams out.
Both teams made 10 three-point shots. After years of watching Marshall kill us from deep, it is refreshing to see their hot shooting not affect the outcome.
Carson Williams had another workmanlike 14 points and 6 rebounds against the much taller Herd. His craftiness inside definitely keeps teams honest down low against WKU.
Stansbury didn’t really trust the bench tonight other than Cam Justice. Gambrell (3 points) & Cozart (2 Rebounds) combined for just 6 minutes all in the first half. I still think he needs to trust both to give starters breaks in the second half. They’ve proven enough to be effective in small spurts and should give the starters much needed rest.
Jordan Savage’s transformation continued despite being in foul trouble. He’s now dependable to get you at least 12 & 5 every night and play solid defense down low. When he’s hitting three’s as he has been lately he’s arguably one of the most unheralded players on the team.
The rebounding margin was 40–32 for Marshall. Not great but close enough to not kill WKU when they cut down on turnovers and are shooting well.
It was good seeing Cam Justice produce (11 points, 4 rebounds) tonight and carve his role as the 6th man. WKU will definitely need him to produce over the next two months.
Josh Anderson continues to be WKU’s best defender. He had 4 steals & a block to go along with 14 points and 6 rebounds. I still don’t know why Stansbury didn’t play him more earlier in the season.
The 6240 fans were a season-high for attendance. As long as WKU stays towards the top of the standings, I expect them to top that multiple times over the next month and a half.
North Texas won tonight against UTEP to keep their half-game lead on WKU. It’s looking more and more like CUSA is a three-team race with UNT, WKU, and Louisiana Tech proving to be miles ahead of the rest of the league.
Overall great win, this team is improving and learning how to play together. Let's hope they aren’t peaking too soon and this team has another gear as we turn the calendar to February.
WKU hits the road next week as they hit the Florida swing. First up is the Florida Atlantic Owls (12–8, 4–3 C-USA) on Thursday at 6 PM CT. The Owls are a capable squad, taking care of business on the road is the next test for this WKU team that has shown signs of taking the next step recently.
Here are your final statistics from tonight’s important victory
