Jim Mashek

SAM HOUSTON STATE USES BALANCED ATTACK TO THROTTLE WKU, 76-62

The second half went by quickly, with the home team hopelessly behind and the visitors from Huntsville, Texas, staying on the attack at WKU’s historic E.A. Diddle Arena.

The Hilltoppers’ body language said it all … as they trudged toward the locker room for halftime, as they failed to get much ball movement on offense and ultimately when they took their fourth consecutive defeat, a 76-62 victory over visiting Sam Houston State on Thursday night before a quiet paid crowd of 2,945 that thinned considerably over the game’s final 10 minutes.

Sam Houston State, one of the bottom-tier teams in Conference USA, looked more the like the Houston Cougars of yesteryear in crushing the injury-riddled Hilltoppers. Six Sam Houston players scored eight points or more and the Bearkats led for nearly 38 minutes, hitting 11 of 25 shots from 3-point range (that’s 44 percent), including a 6-for-12 showing in the second half.

Western Kentucky dipped to 14-12 overall and 5-8 in Conference USA play, joining Sam Houston (11-16, 4-10) and Florida International (8-18, 2-11) as the bottom feeders for solid C-USA squads such as Jacksonville State (18-9, 10-4), Liberty University (21-5. 9-4) and Middle Tennessee State (17-9, 8-5).

And while the Hilltoppers played considerably better in Saturday night’s home loss to MTSU, they faded late in that 87-77 loss to the Blue Raiders.

Western Kentucky faces middle-of-the-road Louisiana Tech on Saturday night at Diddle, but first-year WKU head coach Hank Plona knows the Bulldogs (18-9, 7-7 in C-USA) whipped MTSU, 85-74, on Thursday night in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, so they’ll come into Saturday night’s game in Bowling Green with plenty of starch in their strut.

As opposed to the Tops, who have gone 6-9 since star senior forward Babacar Faye injured his right knee in an overtime victory over traditional rival Murray State on November 14 at Diddle Arena. WKU guard Khristian Lander is fighting back pain himself and the steady senior from Evansville, Indiana, played only nine minutes and change against the Bearkats on Thursday night.

Faye and freshman WKU guard Julius Tedford are sidelined with knee injuries, which only amplified Lander’s absence in the Hilltoppers’ backcourt. Defensive specialist Jalen Jackson and backup guard Jack Edelen both played more than 27 minutes against Sam Houston, and the Hilltoppers struggled with shot selection (they hit 9 of THIRTY shots from 3-point range) and, not surprisingly, rebounding.

Sam Houston finished with a 45-34 edge on the boards. The Hilltoppers managed to pull to within 15 points of Sam Houston on two or three occasions in the second half, but the Bearkats usually responded with a deadly 3-point basket to dash any hopes of WKU making it a competitive game.

Plona wasn’t about to sugarcoat what he saw from the WKU bench, which is a good thing because the fans seem to understand something is off, too. WKU’s pep band stayed until the bitter end against MTSU, but with a late tip-off against Sam Houston, the horns and drums started going into the carrying cases shortly after halftime.

“Obviously, a very disappointing effort and performance tonight,” Plona said in his postgame press conference. “Every time you put on a WKU uniform, we expect to give our best effort and energy and togetherness … represent our university and community in a better manner than that.

“That first half, obviously we didn’t do a very good job of preparing and being ready to play.”

The bad part was nothing changed over the course of the game.

“We came out sluggish, a little bit, and the shots weren’t falling,” WKU senior forward Tyrone Marshall said. “And then some of the defensive possessions, it just wasn’t there … We just weren’t connecting on the defensive end.”

Where Babacar Faye was most effective in the Hilltoppers’ 8-3 start, on the heels of WKU’s first trip to the NCAA Tournament in 11 years.

The Hilltoppers’ half-court defense was a step or two slow, and All-Conference USA guard Don McHenry needed 16 shots — over 27 minutes on the floor — to finish with a team-high 12 points and three assists. WKU’s Jack Edelen, Tyrone Marshall and Blaise Keita, a transfer from the University of Nebraska, all finished with 11 points.

WKU put a four-game losing streak in the rear-view mirror in winning last year’s Conference USA Tournament in Huntsville, Alabama, for the first time in school history. (The Tops had made previous NCAA Tournament appearances representing the Ohio Valley Conference and the Sun Belt.)

The Hilltoppers still have five regular-season games to change the narrative before leaving for Huntsville in mid-March.

It really seems to start, and perhaps finish, within the ears.

“There’s some problems, that have been building, that really showed tonight,” Plona said. “As far as our togetherness and extra effort and defensive intensity. Moving the ball on offense, playing for one another, and just having a mentality that goes into success.”

Needless to say, that’s a lot the Tops will have to address within the confines of their locker room.

“We have some soul searching to do,” Plona said. “There’s recognition, of some issues, after tonight’s game.”

Senior guard Lamar Wilkerson led the Bearkats with 14 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists, while SHSU teammates Cameron Huefner and Erik Taylor each finished with 11 points. Sam Houston’s Marcus Boykin, formerly of Boston College, added 10 points, six rebounds and three assists. The Bearkats tangle with MTSU on Saturday afternoon in Murfreesboro. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m.