Jim Mashek

WKU EXTENDS WIN STREAK TO SEVEN GAMES; TOPS OPEN C-USA PLAY ON SATURDAY AGAINST LIBERTY UNIVERSITY

Western Kentucky University’s Khristian Lander took matters into his own hands Saturday afternoon.

Lander hit a tough shot on a drive to the basket with seven seconds left and the Hilltoppers handled first-year WKU coach Steve Lutz’s defensive instructions after a timeout, sealing a gritty 86-84 victory over visiting Abilene Christian University before a paid crowd of 4,401 at E.A. Diddle Arena.

Western Kentucky extended its winning streak to seven games, sending the Hilltoppers into Conference USA play with a solid 11-3 record. It’s the Hilltoppers’ fastest start since 2003, when they also won 11 of their first 14 games.

WKU’s Tyrone Marshall had a hot hand in the second half, leading the Hilltoppers with 20 points, along with five rebounds and two blocked shots. Lander, a 6-foot-3 senior guard, finished with 19 points, six rebounds and three assists, while scoring six of the Tops’ final eight points.

Abilene Christian dropped to 5-8 overall, and the Wildcats are 0-2 in Western Athletic Conference play. ACU has a team with several talented international players, and the Wildcats’ Ali Andou Dibba, a 6-foot-3 junior from Sweden, led the way with a game-high 25 points.

Western Kentucky didn’t grab its first lead until Marshall drilled a 3-pointer from the left wing with about 12 minutes left. There were only three lead changes in the game, along with seven ties. Abilene Christian shot 50 percent (11 of 22) from 3-point range while hitting all nine of its free-throw attempts.

“We just had to ‘man up,’ play ball,” Marshall said.

WKU coach Steve Lutz wanted the ball in Lander’s hands, with the game on the line, and junior WKU point guard Don McHenry followed his instructions when the Hilltoppers had a foul to give in the final seconds. Abilene Christian inbounded the ball from the sideline and Kavion McClain got off a decent shot from about 17 feet out.

WKU’s Enoch Kalamby squared up to defend against McClain on that final shot, which hit the back of the rim as the Tops escaped with the victory.

“Luckily, Donny (McHenry) was able to recognize what we talked about in the timeout, and he fouled him,” Lutz said. “Now (they have) an opportunity to score from the outside … We did a good job, we were in front of (McClain) and contested the shot. We were in good rebounding position as well.”

The Hilltoppers struggled on the boards in the first half, while ACU’s Ali Abdou Dibba and Hunter Jack Madden, a senior guard from Sydney, Australia, hit some tough shots to keep the Wildcats in front. Madden finished the game with 21 points, hitting six of eight 3-pointers, while playing a game-high 34 minutes, 33 seconds.

WKU went on a 13-0 run in the second half to gain its first lead of the game, on Tyrone Marshall’s aforementioned 3-point field goal, and the Hilltoppers did a good job of executing their half-court offense down the stretch.

The Tops also outscored ACU, 18-2, on fast-break points while turning the ball over only seven times in the contest.

“I think we’re pretty confident right now,” WKU guard Khristian Lander said. “I think we’re locked in, going into conference play.”

The Hilltoppers will have to do that without senior WKU guard Jalen Jackson, who sealed his teams’ 65-64 victory over Austin Peay State with a blocked shot as time expired. Jackson, who followed Lutz to WKU from Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, sustained a broken foot in practice after the Hilltoppers returned from the Christmas weekend break.

Jackson is lost for the season but might be eligible for an NCAA medical redshirt, Lutz said.

“(Jackson) has to decide what he wants to do,” Lutz said. “Does he want to come back, possibly, for another year. We’re in the process of checking into a medical redshirt for him … Does he want to turn professional? What does he want to do?

“We’re going to allow him and his family to think about it … I’ll visit with them again and we’ll make a decision, and roll with it.”

“It’s a big loss,” WKU’s Khristian Lander said.

Lander is one of four Hilltoppers players from former coach Rick Stansbury’s seventh and final WKU squad, along with forward Tyrone Marshall, guard Brandon Newman, and swingman Dontaie Allen, a transfer from the University of Kentucky.

“I just think it’s a total culture change (from Stansbury’s tenure), in my opinion,” Lander said. “We’re more together, I feel like.”

WKU coach Steve Lutz is keeping the big picture in mind as the Hilltoppers prepare for its Conference USA opener on Saturday evening at E.A. Diddle Arena. The Tops are unbeaten at home and followed the hard-fought victory with a “Diddle Lap,” greeting courtside fans on their way to the locker room.

“Your sense of urgency is definitely ‘up’ when you’re down,” Lutz said. “Tyrone (Marshall) does so many things for us, defensively, gives us great length and athleticism. When we play for one another, when we play for Western Kentucky, we’re pretty good.

“January 6 against Liberty will be a good test for us … we’re probably two of the top teams in the league, thus far.

“Our job is to stay with the process.”