Lamonte Bearden brought a different dimension to Western Kentucky when he stepped on the floor for the first time Friday night.

Bearden was the catalyst for WKU’s comeback from a 26-4 hole early against Missouri State. The 6-foot-3 guard showcased his abilities to take the basketball and drive straight to the basket.

Bearden’s game-high 24 points weren’t enough for the Hilltoppers, who fell 85-80 in their season opener. But his performance showed why coach Rick Stansbury used a scholarship last summer to bring the guard in as a transfer after his sophomore year at Buffalo.

Bearden arrived at his 24 points with marks of 6-of-12 from the floor, 3-of-3 from 3-point range and 9-of-10 from the foul stripe. His penetration into the paint contributed to Missouri State picking up a whopping 31 fouls Friday.

“ ’Monte’s a huge playmaker,” fellow guard Darius Thompson said. “It’s hard to stay in front of him. For the first game out there to score the way he did, it really helps us.”

Friday marked Bearden’s debut in any WKU game, exhibition or regular season. He sat out the 2016-17 season due to NCAA transfer rules, then missed the Toppers’ three exhibition games before this season due to a sprained ankle.

Bearden’s ankle injury, which he suffered at the beginning of WKU’s practice period, kept him out of team workouts until recently. That meant his teammates – most of whom are brand new to the program – didn’t get much experience during preseason practice playing alongside the Milwaukee native.

Coach Rick Stansbury said his team is still getting used to playing with Bearden in the lineup.

“I don’t know how much rhythm we had tonight,” Stansbury said. “It was get-it-and-go a little bit. He’d lower his head and go, but you better be able to stop him going.

“The thing he didn’t do tonight that I know he can really do … is pass that basketball. That’s what he does. Scoring, he can score. But that’s not his main deal. He’ll get a bunch of points just because he’s able to get in that lane, but what he’s really able to do is pass the basketball. You didn’t see that tonight much.”

Bearden finished with just one assist against four turnovers in his 30 minutes Friday. He also tallied five rebounds, one block and one steal.

Bearden averaged 10.9 points over the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons at Buffalo, posting 269 assists against 142 turnovers. He helped the Bulls to consecutive Mid-American Conference Tournament titles and NCAA Tournament berths.

Bearden’s redshirt junior year started behind schedule due to the ankle injury, but now he appears poised to be the playmaker Stansbury expects.

“I’m just worried about us getting better, not my rhythm – just getting better as a team,” Bearden said.{&end}