WKU Basketball: Tops Survive Against USM 75–72. Clinch Top Pod Spot in Bonus Play.
WKU overcame a sleepy start and grinded out a crucial 75–72 victory over a frisky Southern Miss squad to clinch a spot in the top CUSA…
WKU overcame a sleepy start and grinded out a crucial 75–72 victory over a frisky Southern Miss squad to clinch a spot in the top CUSA Bonus pod in front of 6170 fans at Diddle Arena.
Both teams started off the game red hot offensively as each made their first 5 shots and Southern Miss would take an early 15–13 lead after the first five minutes.
The Hilltoppers couldn’t contain the Golden Eagles LaDavius Draine who scored the first ten Southern Miss’s points. WKU looked lackadaisical on defense and went cold on offense as they’d fall behind 24–17 around the 10-minute mark.
The sleepwalking continued as WKU fell behind by 9 points at the seven-minute mark. WKU would claw back within 4 but USM’s hot shooting continued as they’d hit 51.6% of their shots in the first half. Almost everything the Golden Eagles threw up seemed to go in with the prime example being a buzzer-beating three by Boban Jacdonmi that give USM a 41–31 half time lead.
The Tops came out of the locker room and immediately went on a 6–0 run. USM continued to hit shots and kept the Hilltoppers at arm's length eight minutes into the half.
Josh Anderson would nail two free throws to cut the Southern Miss lead to 1 with 11:46 remaining and would tie it up 3 minutes later with a jumper to even it up at 59.
The team traded baskets over the next five minutes as the clock drained down below four minutes. The Hilltoppers finally took the lead 65–63 on a Jared Savage three with 3:17 remaining.
Southern Miss would attack WKU’s press and get an and-one bucket from Tyler Stevenson to reclaim the lead. Taveion would feed Carson Williams and he’d lay it up to reclaim the lead with 1:52 remaining.
The Hilltopper defense would force a shot clock violation and Carson Williams would draw a foul with 1:04 remaining and hit both free throws to give WKU a 69–66 lead.
USM would respond with a layup but Cam Justice would drain a three with six seconds left on the shot clock to give the Hilltoppers a two-possession lead with 24.9 seconds remaining.
The Golden Eagles wouldn’t go away as Stevenson would dunk with 15 seconds left to cut the lead to two. Taveion Hollingsworth would draw a foul and hit one of two free throws to extend the lead to 3 with 13 seconds left.
The Hilltoppers wisely decided to foul Gabe Watson and sent him to the line with 7.3 seconds remaining. He’d hit both free throws and they’d send Cam Justice to the line with 6.2 seconds remaining.
Justice would drain both and Watson’s last-second three would fall short as WKU survived with a 75–72 victory to move to 16–8 (9–3 in CUSA) on the season.
Here are some thoughts on tonight’s nerve-wracking victory.
Carson Williams was at his junkyard best tonight. He scored 24 points and grabbed 5 rebounds. He was the go-to player late for the Tops and he delivered with crucial buckets and free throws. He has his flaws defensively but you can’t question his heart at all.
WKU won the game at the free-throw line. They made 19 free throws to just six for USM. Drawing fouls is WKU’s #1 barometer of success.
Three-Point Shooting (and shooting in general) was the reason a seven-win USM team almost won the game. They made 10 three-pointers (compared to just six for WKU) and shot 43.8 % for the game. If they didn’t make crazy shots WKU would have easily won (especially if they didn’t jack up 27 three-pointers).
Taveion Hollingsworth’s mid-season resurgence has hit a skid over the past two games. He wasn’t awful but his 8 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists is a far departure from the player that consistently posted 20 points a game over the month of January.
Josh Anderson was sneaky great tonight. He was efficient offensively (4–6 shooting) and didn’t force anything. His transformation at the free-throw line (8–9) has been the most pleasant thing to see from him since he’s arrived on the Hill.
Jared Savage continues to be the most consistent rebounder on the team. He grabbed 11 more tonight to go along with 13 points, 3 assists and a block. He’s another player that produces on a consistent basis.
WKU had just 3 turnovers today, compared to 10 for USM. If the shots had fallen this stat would have led to a blowout.
Cam Justice didn’t shoot well but did produce tonight. He not only hit that clutch three but finished with 12 points, 2 rebounds and an assist in 24 minutes and helped WKU overcome a quiet night from Jordan Rawls (2 points). He’s got his flaws but having him back in the lineup beats him not playing at all.
USM outrebounded WKU 41–33, that is to be expected but that margin was another reason the Golden Eagles almost pulled the upset.
Other than Justice, Isiah Cozart was the only player that came off the bench. He played just 3 minutes buying Williams some small rest and delivered with solid defense and a block.
As stated above WKU clinched a spot in the top pod for CUSA bonus play. They now can’t be worse than a 5 seed in the CUSA tournament and can receive a bye if they don’t finish last in bonus play.
North Texas survived today, so WKU is still a game back in the standings with six games to play (including one guaranteed game against the Mean Green).
Here are your updated CUSA standings with a week to play before Bonus play.
WKU hits the road next week for the always dangerous West Texas road swing. That starts on Thursday against an underachieving but talented UTEP (13–12, 4–8 in CUSA) squad at 8 PM Central. Hopefully, the team can show they’re ready to deliver on the road on a trip that has repeatedly killed them in the past.
Here are your final stats from tonight’s crucial victory.
