QUICK WORK: Hilltoppers push pace in 79-62 win against Jackson State

Published 4:54 am Thursday, November 21, 2024

by Jeff Nations

Western Kentucky got off to a quick start with a fast pace against Jackson State on Wednesday night at E.A. Diddle Arena.

The Hilltoppers pushed the action from the opening tip and the Tigers simply couldn’t keep up as WKU opened with 11 straight points and maintained a double-digit lead nearly the rest of the way for a 79-62 victory.

“We were No. 1 in the country a year ago in tempo,” WKU first-year head coach Hank Plona said. “I think going into this one we were 9 or 10, something like that. We’re in the top 2 or 3 percent in pace. I think we just choose to do that because we’re more comfortable and we succeed in that. We do want to push pace. In the second half of games, a year ago we wear some people down, make some runs.

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“Obviously today we got up 11-0, so that’s not exactly what happened but I do think playing an aggressive pace on both ends of the floor always will be this group’s identity. We need to continue to fine-tune and be as efficient as possible while doing that.”

WKU (3-2) notched its third straight win, all at Diddle, and second in a row in the BBN Invitational, a multi-team event (MTE) hosted by Kentucky. While Sunday’s 66-61 win against Lipscomb was more of a grind against a team happy to employ a 2-3 zone and slow the pace, Wednesday’s game flow was much more to the Tops’ liking.

It also allowed the Tops to get multiple players going on offense, with three players finishing in double-digit scoring and three more with at least eight points in the win.

Graduate senior guard Khristian Lander finished with a team-high 15 points and hit 4-of-5 attempts from 3-point range, just four days after going 0-of-7 from the field and 0-for-5 from 3-point range against Lipscomb.

“Last game I felt like I was shooting the same shots I was shooting tonight,” Lander said. “They just weren’t going in. I feel like my misses last game were good, good misses. So I’ve just got to keep shooting them, keep getting reps up and they’ll eventually fall.”

After hitting just 5-of-22 from 3-point range the previous outing against the Bisons, the Tops came out hot from long range against Jackson State. Graduate senior forward Tyrone Marshall Jr. bracketed a pair of 3-pointers around a 3 from senior forward Babacar Faye to spark that opening surge.

WKU connected on 14-of-31 (45.2%) on 3-point tries against the Tigers, with seven different Hilltoppers hitting at least one.

The Tigers did eventually start to hit some shots, using a 7-0 spurt to cut the deficit to seven at 18-11 with 9:51 left in the first half. The Tops answered with an 8-2 run and stretched the advantage out to 17 at 40-23 on a 3-pointer by Julius Thedford (12 points) before settling for a 40-28 halftime lead.

Jackson State got the deficit back to 10 early in the second half, but the Tops went on a 22-9 run over the next eight minutes to lead 62-39 with 11 minutes to go.

The Tops maintained the rest of the way for a convincing win.

Senior point guard Don McHenry added 13 points and a team-high five steals. Senior guard Braxton Bayless had his most productive night as a Hilltopper, finishing with eight points, five rebounds and three assists. The Niagara transfer admitted he was glad to see some shots fall.

“It feels great, yeah,” Bayless said. “I’ve been down on myself the last four games, so it feels good to be back on track.”

Tamarion Hoover came off the bench to score a game-high 18 points, including four 3-pointers, and Dorian McMillian added 16 points for the Tigers.

WKU forced 19 turnovers and outrebounded Jackson State 42-35 in the win.

“These last two home games were part of the MTE that we did with Kentucky – us, Lipscomb and Jackson State,” Plona said. “We get two home games out of it. You certainly hope that you win both of them. I hope that we got better these last couple of games, but most importantly they’re two important early-season wins against teams that will be solid in their respective leagues.

“I was happy to see a lot of different guys contribute tonight and hopefully get their feet under them a little bit, hopefully build some some confidence. Obviously next Tuesday (against Kentucky) will be quite a test and challenge for us and we’ll need to be at our absolute best.”

WKU wraps up play in the BBN Invitational on Tuesday against No. 9 Kentucky at Rupp Arena in Lexington. Game time is 5:30 p.m. CT.

About Jeff Nations

Sports Editor, Bowling Green Daily News

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