Jim Mashek

WKU’s BRYANT SELEBANGUE ON OPENING NIGHT: ‘THIS IS DEFINITELY A FIRST STEP’

Senior center Bryant Selebangue is one of nine newcomers on the Western Kentucky men’s basketball roster for the 2025-26 season, and the Montreal native is certainly qualified to make a keen observation or two on Opening Night at WKU’s historic E.A. Diddle Arena.

“This is definitely a first step,” Selebangue said Monday night after the Hilltoppers used a strong bench and a splendid showing at the free-throw line to subdue Tennessee Tech, 82-70, before a paid Diddle crowd of 3,247.

Western Kentucky dominated on the boards in the first half, using a deep bench to post its first victory against the former OVC rival from Cookeville, Tennessee. The Golden Eagles moved into striking distance a handful of times in the second half, but second-year WKU head coach Hank Plona’s squad was equal to the task in surviving those challenges with a little room to spare.

“Obviously, we’re happy to come out of there with a win tonight,” Plona told the media on hand when it was over. “As I stare at this stat sheet, right now, I think we got a little too focused on our individual things tonight. So, I thought our ball movement, our team offense and our team defense didn’t quite reflect the team we’ve worked really hard to build over the last five months.

“Obviously, Tennessee Tech is a very good team. They did not back down. We knew they would compete … Every time the (second-half) lead got close, we locked down on defense. But they certainly shot the ball with confidence.”

The Golden Eagles, coached by University of Kentucky legend John Pelphrey, are adept at spacing the floor and finding good looks at the basket. In the second half, Tennessee Tech shot 43 percent from 3-point range, but that wouldn’t be enough to derail the Hilltoppers’ mission on Opening Night.

The Tops won’t play again until Monday night’s road game against another former Ohio Valley Conference rival, Eastern Kentucky University. Senior EKU guard Turner Buttry, an outstanding all-around player while playing at Bowling Green High School, figures to get one last shot at the Hilltoppers when Plona’s squad makes the three-hour trip to Richmond, Kentucky.

Senior WKU center Bryant Selebangue, who entered the game off the bench before the first media timeout, made his Hilltoppers debut a memorable one.

Selebangue finished the contest with 14 points, 10 rebounds, two steals and a blocked shot, as the Tops turned the page on the first chapter of the 2025-26 WKU season.

Western Kentucky’s Teagan Moore, a sophomore swingman from Dry Ridge, Kentucky, was back in the Hilltoppers’ lineup after sitting out the 2024-25 campaign because of a surgical hip procedure.

The colorful 6-foot-5, 220-pound Moore and WKU forward Grant Newell, a 6-foot-9, 220-pound senior transfer from Chicago, each finished the game with a team-high 16 points.

Tennessee Tech teammates Brandon Muntu and Mekhi Cameron shared high scoring honors for the Golden Eagles, too, each tallying 13 points before Hank Plona could empty his bench in the final minute or two.

Depth figures to be a calling card for this WKU team, something no one could claim to see in last year’s 17-15, including a first-round exit from the Conference USA Tournament at Probst Arena in Huntsville, Alabama.

“There’s no starters on the team, right now,” Plona said in a matter-of-fact tone.

One of the most anticipated WKU additions from the offseason, senior point guard Terrion Murdix, made the most of his 19 minutes on the floor.

Murdix, who played for former WKU head coach Steve Lutz at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, hit five of nine shots from the floor and finished the contest with 13 points, six rebounds, two assists and two turnovers.

WKU’s bench outscored Tennessee Tech’s, to the tune of 46-21.

“We were certainly focused on attacking the paint,” Plona said.

Moore, a valuable sixth man on the WKU squad that reached the 2024 NCAA Tournament, has a quick fist step and twice scored on put-backs to keep the Golden Eagles at arm’s length in the second half.

“We’re playing a lot of guys. (Moore) plays through the contact, like it was nothing,” Plona said. “Playing time is not charity …”

Ah, charity.

Freebies.

The free-throw line.

That ultimately may have been the difference in this one.

Western Kentucky hit 28 of 35 free throws (80 percent) to complement the inside play of first-year imports such as Bryant Selebangue, Grant Newell and 7-foot, 245-pound Noah Boyde.

That’s right, the Hilltoppers have their first legitimate 7-foot presence since former WKU center Jamarion Sharp left The Hill for a modest single season with the Ole Miss Rebels.

Newell turned in an efficient performance over 22 minutes on the floor, hitting five of six shots from the floor while finishing the game with 16 points, three rebounds, two steals and two assists.

Five Hilltoppers players — Selebangue, Newell, Moore, Ryan Myers and Terrion Murdix — had double-digit scoring totals for the night.

Newell might have put it best, while joining Plona and Selebangue for the postgame presser at WKU’s Paul Just Media Center.

“It was a good experience, to finally have an official game in front of everyone,” he said. “It wasn’t just me, it was a team effort. I’ve tried to do as much as I can … We got to a point where we turned the ball over, fewer times, and that’s winning basketball.

“You play like that, that contributes to winning.”