IN THE FINAL MOMENTS OF THE FIRST HALF.
HILLTOPPERS EARN THIRD STRAIGHT VICTORY
Western Kentucky’s Dayvion McKnight turned in another splendid performance in leading the Hilltoppers past a rugged Middle Tennessee State squad, 93-89, before a paid crowd of 4,019 on Thursday night at WKU’s E.A. Diddle Arena.
McKnight, the Hilltoppers’ junior guard from Shelbyville, Kentucky, hit 10 of 18 shots while going 13-for-13 at the free-throw line, leading all scorers with 33 points. It was the second-highest point total for McKnight in his WKU career.
It was the Hilltoppers’ third consecutive victory.
AGAINST MTSU GUARD JESTIN PORTER.
Western improved to 14-11 overall and 6-8 in Conference USA, while MTSU, a fierce WKU rival since the Ohio Valley Conference days, dropped to 15-10 overall and 8-6 in Conference USA. The Hilltoppers have a week to get ready for their next game, a road contest against the Charlotte 49ers on February 16 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Western led for nearly the entire game, but MTSU used some torrid 3-point shooting to take its first lead in the final three minutes. That advantage disappeared in a hurry, however, as WKU’s Emmanuel Akot drew a foul near the basket on the Tops’ next possession before drilling two free throws to put Western in front 80-79.
The Hilltoppers were deadly at the free-throw line, hitting 26 of 29 foul shots.
SCORES IN THE FINAL TWO
MINUTES OF THE FIRST HALF.
“They never caved in. I’m proud of ’em,” WKU coach Rick Stansbury said afterward.
Western watched a first-half lead vanish in its first game against the Blue Raiders, who held on for a 65-60 victory on December 31 in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. That loss was early in Stansbury’s nine-game absence for an undisclosed illness.
This time, the Hilltoppers played with plenty of resolve while shooting 55 percent from the field. Jamarion Sharp, the 7-foot-5 WKU senior center, played nearly 35 minutes and finished with 11 points (on 4-of-4 shooting from the field, and 3-for-3 at the line), five blocked shots, and five rebounds.
“We’re just going to try to finish as well as we can,” Sharp said.
GETS THE ROLL ON A
CRITICAL SECOND-HALF FIELD GOAL.
Senior WKU swingman Emmanuel Akot had 13 points and teammate Dontaie Allen, a transfer from the University of Kentucky, added 12. MTSU was on fire from the 3-point line in the second half, hitting 8 of 12 shots (67 percent) from beyond the arc, but it wouldn’t be enough.
Eli Lawrence led the Blue Raiders with 21 points while MTSU teammate Elias King added 20 in just 24-plus minutes.
“We stayed together, as a team,” McKnight said. “We took it as our game, all 40 minutes, and we came out on top.”
I’ll have a comprehensive look at the game on Friday morning. Thanks for reading.
VOLLEYBALL TEAM AT HALFTIME.
SCORED A GAME-HIGH 33 POINTS.