Jim Mashek

WESTERN KENTUCKY SQUARES OFF WITH DELAWARE ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT

Western Kentucky men’s basketball has had the embodiment of an up-and-down season.

The downs, however, have lingered.

On Saturday night, sophomore swingman Teagan Moore and the Hilltoppers interjected something else into the equation.

Like, some electricity.

With seven regular-season games left on the docket, the Tops returned to WKU’s historic E.A. Diddle Arena on a bit of a mission.

“Everybody played their part, tonight,” WKU senior forward Grant Newell said after some prolific free-throw shooting, and Moore’s return from the concussion protocol, carried the Hilltoppers to a pulsating 82-80 victory over traditional rival Middle Tennessee State before a paid crowd of 4,023.

Moore scored a game-high 28 points in roughly 26 minutes on the floor, hitting six of 10 shots — including a 3-for-4 showing from 3-point range — while simply owning the Blue Raiders at the free-throw line.

The 6-foot-5 sophomore from Owen County High School gave his squad an immediate lift, coming off the bench before the first media timeout. Moore broke an 80-80 tie in dramatic fashion, drawing a foul from MTSU with 3.8 seconds remaining and then hitting the free throws to account for the final margin.

After missing five games — Moore was injured in the Tops’ 76-69 loss to Liberty University on January 21 — the Hilltoppers’ offensive catalyst made it happen on both ends of the floor. He hit 13 of 15 free throws on the night, and the Hilltoppers were Western Sizzlin’ from the line, hitting 28 of 32 foul shots, or 87.5 percent.

Western Kentucky improved to 13-11 overall and 7-7 in Conference USA play, and the Hilltoppers will go on a two-game road swing to C-USA Delaware and league-leading Liberty before returning to Diddle Arena to face New Mexico State on February 26. MTSU, meanwhile, dropped to 12-13 overall and 6-8 in Conference USA.

Second-year WKU head coach Hank Plona had reason to embrace the victory, and what it could mean for the Hilltoppers moving forward.

“Obviously, we wanted to attack the rim, put pressure on the basket,” Plona said. “Teagan was able to do that. We did a good job, making free throws all night, and we survived that last (MTSU) possession.”

The Blue Raiders were out of timeouts, after Moore’s decisive free throws, and they inbounded the ball to Sean Smith about 25 feet from the baseline, just in front of the WKU bench. Smith had had the hot hand in the second half, for the Blue Raiders, hitting some contested shots on his way to a 19-point night. But WKU’s L.J. Hackman forced Smith away from taking a direct path to the basket, and his rushed shot had no chance as the game ended.

Teagan Moore grabbed the long rebound and fired the ball toward the heavens, sealing the Hilltoppers’ two-game sweep over their longtime rival from Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

“This rivalry’s supposed to be about ‘100 Miles of Hate,’ so I’m not sure what we’re doin’ playing on Valentine’s Day,” Plona said with a grin.

WKU’s Grant Newell carried the Hilltoppers for much of the first half, hitting four of six shots from 3-point range while leading his team with 16 points before the break. Newell was more of a decoy in the second half, but he finished the night with 20 points and a team-high seven rebounds. Senior MTSU guard Kamari Lands led the Blue Raiders with 20 points, and Smith finished with 19.

“I feel good. I’m tired, but I feel good,” Moore said.

The Hilltoppers also forced a critical five-seconds call under the MTSU basket, and senior WKU guard L.J. Hackman followed his own shot, off a steal in the backcourt, for his team’s last field goal of the night.

“I just took it back in, and stayed in the moment,” Hackman said.

Hackman went 4-for-7 from the 3-point line, finishing the game with 14 points and five rebounds, and senior WKU center Blaise Keita hit two free throws in a 1-and-1 situation after the lead started changing hands midway through the second half.

“It’s always good to dig down deep, and figure out how to make plays to win,” WKU coach Hank Plona said. “I think when a team starts building that connection … sometimes things go your way.”

Things went the Hilltoppers’ way on Saturday night.

Teagan Moore’s return couldn’t have come at a better time for the Hilltoppers, as freshman forward Armeo Boone was out of uniform, wearing a protective boot on his right foot. Plona is hopeful Boone might be ready to return for Wednesday’s game against C-USA newcomer Delaware in Newark, Delaware, located about halfway between Baltimore and Philadelphia along the Interstate 95 corridor.

“Teagan’s a special player,” Plona said. “If he can make some 3s, those driving lines are going to open up … There’s no science to it. Teagan’s our best at getting (to the free-throw line). You’ve got to be mentally at peace, when you shoot your free throws …

“It’s the reason we won the game.”