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Looking back on Hilltopper Hysteria

Western Kentucky hosted its annual Hilltopper Hysteria event Thursday night at E.A. Diddle Arena.
Western Kentucky hosted its annual Hilltopper Hysteria event Thursday night at E.A. Diddle Arena.

Western Kentucky hosted Hilltopper Hysteria, its annual tip-off event for the men's and women's basketball seasons, on Thursday evening at E.A. Diddle Arena.

After being introduced, the men's team played 24-minute scrimmage that was separated into two 12-minute halves. Each half started with the scoreboard tied at 40-40, and the two teams were altered for each of the halves.

In the first half of the scrimmage, Team White took a 69-65 win as Charles Bassey scored 10 points and grabbed eight rebounds and Camron Justice and Jared Savage each scored eight while knocking down two 3-pointers apiece. Taveion Hollingsworth led Team Red with 8 points, while Jordan Rawls added 7.

The two sides played a back-and-forth second half, but Team White ultimately pulled away for a 76-69 win to close out the event. Josh Anderson capped it with a steal and dunk.

Here are a few takeaways from the Hilltoppers' scrimmage:

- Kenny Cooper - a Lipscomb transfer - showed that, shall he become eligible, he's WKU's best choice at point guard. Cooper's ability to see the floor, find his teammates at the right times and make the proper plays is unmatched. He'll be able to consistently lead the Toppers' offense and won't turn the ball over very often.

- The Hilltoppers showed Thursday that they'll be able to shoot the ball this season - especially from outside. WKU netted 10 3-pointers in the first half of the scrimmage, and multiple guys - especially Savage and Justice - looked comfortable shooting from outside throughout the night.

- One of the biggest takeaways of the night was how comfortable and more aggressive Charles Bassey was compared to last season. Battling a knee injury all throughout last year and having to wear a knee brace, Bassey didn't have that knee - or brace - holding him back and showed how dominant he can be when 100 percent healthy.

Western will host Kentucky State in an exhibition game Nov. 2.

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