Western Kentucky (5-3) defeated in-state foe Eastern Kentucky (5-4) 85-80 in a thrilling 159th all-time meeting in the series that had the crowd at Diddle Arena on the edge of their seats.
Tonight's win marks the 115th all-time win against the Colonels as the Hilltoppers control the series with a 115-44 record.
Western Kentucky announced before opening tipoff that senior forward Jairus Hamilton was out due to a back injury while also announcing the continued absence of fifth year guard Josh Anderson who is still unavailable due to COVID-19 protocols.
Sophomore guard Dayvion McKnight led WKU's offense with 22 points, five rebounds and three assists.
Graduate guard Camron Justice was also a vital piece of the Hilltoppers' offense as he finished the evening with 18 points, three rebounds and six assists.
Junior center Jamarion Sharp also played a huge role in the win with 17 points and 14 rebounds.
The Colonel's offense was led by junior guard Cooper Robb, who had 21 points, three rebounds, three assists and one steal.
Freshman wing Devontae Blanton was also a big offensive performer with 14 points, 10 rebounds and five assists.
Redshirt senior forward Jannson Williams finished off the night with 10 points, seven rebounds and two steals.
Sophomore forward Michael Moreno was another key offensive player for the Colonels as he had 14 points, two rebounds, two assists and one steal.
The Hilltoppers additionally outrebounded the Colonels 38-37, committed 12 turnovers, scored 14 points off turnovers and collected 13 assists.
The Colonels committed 13 turnovers, collected 17 points off turnovers and recorded 20 assists.
The Hilltoppers won the opening tipoff and began to display their offense at 15:25 with a 6-0 scoring run with 3-of-3 shooting.
With less than five minutes remaining in the first half, Western Kentucky was on a 7-0 run over the last 1:43 of play while the Colonels were one of their last nine shots from the field.
The Hilltoppers held a 39-38 lead over the Colonels at halftime.
The Hilltoppers were winning the rebounding battle 23-20, had only committed five turnovers, collected three steals and recorded six assists.
At the half, the Colonels had 20 rebounds, six turnovers, one steal and recorded nine assists.
The second half was a back-and-forth battle as the two teams' exchanged the lead multiple times, starting with a back-to-back three-pointers by Robb to give Eastern Kentucky a 46-44 lead with 17:27 remaining.
For the next couple of minutes, Western Kentucky and Eastern Kentucky continued to exchange baskets, fighting for a solid lead.
At 12:18 mark, the Hilltoppers had a five-point advantage over led Eastern Kentucky 58-53 after a Luke Frampton three-pointer.
The Hilltoppers lost their lead with 4:18 remaining as Jannson Wiliams drilled a three-pointer off a turnover to give EKU a 74-71 advantage.
WKU would go on an 14-6 run down the stretch, including 8-of-8 from the free throw line, to put away Eastern Kentucky 85-80 and secure their fifth win of the season.
The Hilltoppers take on Buffalo next Wednesday at Diddle Arena. The opening tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
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