Western Kentucky (17-12, 9-7 C-USA) fell short for the first time in the month of February as 100 Miles of Hate rival Middle Tennessee (22-7, 13-3 C-USA) held on to win the battle of seven-game winning streaks on Saturday by a final score of 69-52.
Middle Tennessee extended their winning streak to eight with the win over Western Kentucky as the Hilltoppers saw a seven-game winning streak come to an end.
The Hilltoppers were without two major contributors as senior forward Jairus Hamilton was out due to a knee injury and redshirt senior guard Luke Frampton was unavailable due to mononucleosis.
Dayvion McKnight led Western Kentucky with 13 points, four rebounds and two assists.
Josh Anderson chipped in 11 points and six rebounds.
Graduate guard Camron Justice finished with 10 points, six rebounds, five assists and five steals.
Sophomore guard Sherman Brashear was a factor as well, contributing nine points off 3-of-7 shooting from beyond the arc. Brashear also finished with four rebounds.
Middle Tennessee was paced by sophomore guard Eli Lawrence, who finished with 15 points and three rebounds.
Josh Jefferson and DeAndre Dishman combined for 20 points, finishing off the night with 10 points each. Jefferson also had three rebounds, two assists while Dishman grabbed seven rebounds and two assists.
Freshman guard Teafale Lenard Jr. tallied nine points and five rebounds.
The Hilltoppers also recorded 41 rebounds, 13 turnovers, eight points off turnovers and nine assists.
The Blue Raiders additionally won the rebounding battle 45-41 while also recording 10 turnovers, 15 points off turnovers and 20 assists.
Halftime Synopsis
Western Kentucky's offense was led by Dayvion McKnight, who finished the first half with seven points and three rebounds.
Josh Anderson, Sherman Brashear and Jamarion Sharp finished the first half with a combined 18 points, recording six points each.
Middle Tennessee's offense was led by Lawrence and Lenard Jr., who finished with eight points each.
Tyler Millin, Justin Bufford and Camryn Weston combined for 15 total, scoring five points each.
Western Kentucky was winning the rebounding battle at the end of the first half 24-20 while also recording seven turnovers, five points off turnovers and five assists.
Middle Tennessee also recorded 20 rebounds, four turnovers, six points off turnovers and 11 assists.
Takeaways
MTSU prevails in battle of seven-game winning streaks: The Blue Raiders marched on to their eighth-straight win while they snapped WKU's seven-game winning streak on Saturday night. Middle Tennessee hasn't faltered since Feb. 5 when UAB prevailed 97-75 in Birmingham. Western Kentucky was handed their first loss since a 93-85 loss to Middle Tennessee at Diddle Arena on Jan. 29.
Poor offensive production from both teams: Neither Western Kentucky nor Middle Tennessee shot the ball particularly well as both teams finished below 40% shooting from the field. The Hilltoppers shot 31% (19-61) from the field while the Blue Raiders recorded a slightly better performance with 39% (27-69) shooting. Western Kentucky was also cold from three, shooting 30% (6-20) while Middle Tennessee shot 28% (10-36).
Justice and McKnight had a bad night: Camron Justice and Dayvion McKnight have been the most significant pieces of Western Kentucky's offense over the course of the season. It was a rough night for both players. Justice was unable to connect consistently from beyond the arc, shooting 1-of-7 from three while McKnight was 5-of-21 from the field. A poor night on offense for both is usually a recipe for disaster.
Western Kentucky is set to close out the regular season against rival Marshall, tipping off the first meeting at the Cam Henderson Center on Wednesday before a final matchup at E.A. Diddle Arena on Saturday. Wednesday's contest will tipoff at 6 p.m. CT on ESPNU while Saturday's opening tip is at 2 p.m. CT. and will be televised on ESPN+.
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