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BOCA RATON, Fla. — Western Kentucky’s accommodations on its weeklong road trip might have been more posh than the living quarters back home, but by Saturday night, Hilltopper forward Sergio Kerusch was ready to trade hotel rooms for his dorm room.
“Man, I am hurting, I am tired,” a smiling Kerusch said after the Hilltoppers closed a three-game road trip with a 78-57 win at Florida Atlantic. “I am ready to sleep in my own little dorm room bed.”
The Hilltoppers returned to Bowling Green on Sunday after playing three games in six days - at Mississippi State and an excursion to south Florida, where they faced Florida International and FAU.
Saturday’s victory helped WKU salvage what began as a largely disappointing journey.
WKU started with two losses, getting blasted 95-67 at Mississippi State and falling 81-79 for its first Sun Belt Conference loss at FIU, which picked up its first league win against the Hilltoppers.
But a resurgent Hilltopper squad against the Owls helped WKU to return home with better feelings.
“It was dire,” Kerusch said. “ We needed it bad. After that loss against FIU, we went to practice and went hard. I still have scratches (from it). We just said we don’t like that taste in our mouth and we’re not going to taste it again.”
WKU coach Ken McDonald said the Hilltoppers found out during the trip how hard they must play, especially on the road.
“Every single road game is going to be tough,” McDonald said. “Teams are not going to take us lightly. Mississippi State didn’t take us lightly.
“Florida International played harder than us. I hate to say this, but they did. We have to understand what goes into winning games. If you want to be a championship-caliber team, you have to have that toughness and stay with the game plan.”
Playing hard shouldn’t be an issue for the Hilltoppers when they return to E.A. Diddle Arena this week.
By winning Saturday, WKU stayed close to arch rival Middle Tennessee, which visits Diddle on Thursday.
The Blue Raiders (11-5 overall, 5-0 SBC) are the only undefeated team in the league, but WKU sits just one game behind (10-6, 4-1) in the East Division race.
“It’s definitely a big win (against FAU),” guard Orlando Mendez-Valdez said. “It gets us back on track. We knew if we won this game, we had Middle at home and we could try and give them their first loss and tie it back up. We played with no fear (against FAU), weren’t worried about mistakes, played hard and gave extra effort.”
McDonald didn’t minimize the importance of the Hilltoppers’ meeting against Middle Tennessee.
“It’s a huge game,” McDonald said. “There’s no secret about it, it’s a huge game. We’ll be excited, focused all week and I expect it to come down to a one-, two-possession game. They’re a good team, good players and coach (Kermit) Davis does a good job. They play hard, we have to play harder. We have to do some things - we can’t beat ourselves, we have to take good shots, we have to rebound.”
Not only do the Hilltoppers have a chance to even up the East race on Thursday, but they face a stretch of games that could put WKU in solid footing within the league.
Thursday’s game begins a season-long three-game homestand. New Orleans visits Saturday, followed by Louisiana-Lafayette on Jan. 22.
“I can’t wait to get back to Bowling Green, sleep in my own bed and be around people we know,” Mendez-Valdez said.
Notes
Kerusch had 13 points and eight rebounds in his first double-figure game since a 10-point outing against Alabama A&M on Dec. 21.
After the game, Kerusch issued a message to WKU supporters.
“I apologize to Hilltopper fans because I’ve been kind of poutin’,” Kerusch said. “You’ve got to realize it’s all for the good of team. I understand it now. I don’t mind coming off the bench if this is the result right here.”
But it was a spirited group, partially because of WKU’s other athletic teams. WKU’s swim team was in south Florida and loudly supported the Hilltoppers, as did the WKU women’s hoops team, which played FAU on Sunday.
“They were a big help,” Mendez-Valdez said. “They came out with all these chants. I was completely focused on the game and on the court, but I still heard them.”
