OF DONTAIE ALLEN’s 3-POINTER.
HILLTOPPERS PLAY HOST TO MTSU ON THURSDAY NIGHT
Well, the Hilltoppers held on and made it happen.
Western Kentucky knocked off Texas-El Paso on Saturday evening, taking a 74-69 victory before a paid crowd of 4,169 at E.A. Diddle Arena. The Hilltoppers improved to 13-11 overall and 5-8 in Conference USA.
The Miners dropped to 11-12 overall and 4-8 in C-USA. WKU will play host to longtime rival Middle Tennessee State on Thursday night. MTSU slipped past the Hilltoppers 65-60 on New Year’s Eve in Murfresboro, Tennessee.
AND DAYVION McKNIGHT.
EARLIER THIS WEEK AFTER AN UNDISCLOSED ILLNESS.
Junior forward Dontaie Allen, a transfer from the University of Kentucky, scored a game-high 25 points on 8-of-15 shooting — including a 5-for-8 showing from the 3-point line — while adding seven rebounds.
“Dontaie has played back-to-back, 30-minutes games,” WKU coach Rick Stansbury said afterward. “We believe in Dontaie. He took advantage of an opportunity, stepped in and played well.
“There’s no question, he’s a pretty confident guy.”
The Hilltoppers trailed for nearly the entire first half, with UTEP taking a 37-33 lead into the locker room at the break. Western opened the second half with a 10-2 run, with Allen scoring on a drive to the basket to get things started. Junior WKU forward Jairus Hamilton scored on a three-point play before teammate Emmanuel Akot scored from outside to give the Hilltoppers a 40-39 lead.
Allen hit three of his five 3-pointers in the second half.
WKU guard Dayvion McKnight, the Hilltoppers’ leading scorer, had 12 of his 14 points in the second half. Akot, the 6th-year WKU senior from Winnipeg, Manitoba, had 13 points, and 7-foot-5 senior center Jamarion Sharp finished with a game-high 11 rebounds to go with his six blocked shots and four points.
EIGHT POINTS OFF THE BENCH.
“Honestly, it feels great,” Allen said. “We’ve had to stick together. We’re trying to survive. Everybody was positive out there.”
UTEP guard Shamar Givance scored 18 points, hitting five of six shots from 3-point land, while teammates Otis Frazier III and Tae Hardy added 17 and 15 points, respectively.
I’ll have a comprehensive look at the game on Sunday morning. Thanks for reading.
11 REBOUNDS AND SIX BLOCKED SHOTS.
RETIRED AT HALFTIME. SMITH DIED IN 1967,
IN AN AUTO CRASH SHORTLY AFTER
BEING DRAFTED BY THE LOS ANGELES LAKERS.