WKU Basketball: Tops Sweep Owls 89–66, Wins 6th Straight Game
After last night’s 77–71 victory over the Rice Owls, the Tops were looking for the series sweep. In front of a nationally televised audience, the Tops were set to deliver a performance.
As the game tipped off, Western did not waste any time jumping out in front. A quick floater from Charles Bassey opened the game. Through the first five minutes, the Tops were leading 10–3. Dayvion McKnight kept his form from last night as he was able to provide five quick points to extend the lead. As the first half went by, Western was still in cruise control as their biggest lead was by six points. At the 7:47 mark, it was WKU all over 27–21.
Through the strong play of Charles Bassey, Western was approaching their largest lead of the game. To close out the first half, they went on a 13–2 run to make the score 43–28 over the Owls at halftime.
Opening the second half, the Tops started to heat up on the defensive side of the ball. Carson Williams made the hustle to block a three-point attempt from Rice:
That translated to an offensive frenzy that included a LOT of three-pointers. This was courtesy of Luke Frampton and an inspiring cycle from Jordan Rawls. WKU created their biggest lead of the game as they lead the Owls 73–54 with seven minutes left to go. Of course, who could miss this beauty?
As the final minutes went by, the Tops extended their biggest lead of the night as they were up 81–62 with 3:27 left in the second half. This was the product of 23 assists and 13 made three-pointers.
Closing out the game, the energy shifted from celebration to uncertainty. After a made basket from Kylen Milton, tempers started to flare off an exchange between him and a Rice player. Josh Anderson and Charles Bassey have been ejected due to adding to the conflict. The Tops held on and rushed off the court as they achieved the series sweep, defeating Rice 89–66.
Thoughts from tonight’s game:
- We are proving ourselves to be an unselfish playing ball club. Having 13 assists in the first half alone was amazing. To make better baskets, it helps to spread the ball around.
- I lost count of how many times that Bassey went inside the paint. His strong play was well needed tonight.
- Can Dayvion McKnight put his name in for CUSA Freshman of the Year? We sure hope so. He continued his streak as he was able to help out with some important possessions. He racked up on assists again, this time going into double digits.
- Luke Frampton was on fire from 3 point land. He made four straight each time he had the ball in his hands. He finished with five made triples.
- This series brought the best out of our shooters. The three-point percentage was at its best all season.
Overall, this was a fun series. Any doubt of the Hilltoppers having rust leftover from the COVID hiatus has evaporated into the cold winter night. However, there is some worry in the air as we wait for the Conference USA board to make any decisions that’ll shake the lineup for the upcoming week.
The Tops are now 15–4 in overall play with an 8–2 CUSA record. They will travel to Denton next weekend for a pivotal series against North Texas. Game One starts on Friday, February 19th with a 7 pm central tip-off. The game will be broadcasted on Facebook via CBS Sports.
Here are the final stats from tonight’s win at Diddle:
