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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — With just seven active players, the WKU Hilltopper Basketball team used a dominant second half Sunday and notched a 78-64 exhibition victory at Samford to open the season at the Pete Hanna Center in Birmingham, Ala.

The game was labeled the "Pack The Pete For Hurricane Relief" game, with proceeds being donated to the Red Cross Hurricane Irma Relief Fund for Florida.

The NCAA granted numerous programs waivers to add an exhibition game with the proceeds going to relief efforts following a series of devastating hurricanes in the United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Despite having just seven active players in uniform, the Hilltoppers shot 56.6 percent from the field with 19 assists on 23 made baskets. They shot 65.2 percent in the second half and made 21 of 35 free throws overall.

Freshman guard Taveion Hollingsworth led five WKU players in double figures with 19 points. Senior forwardJustin Johnson added 15 points and 10 rebounds, and graduate senior forward Dwight Coleby tallied 10 points (10 of 12 on free throws) and 15 boards.

Freshman guard Jake Ohmer had 12 points, four assists and three steals, and graduate senior guard Darius Thompson flirted with a triple-double with 11 points, 10 assists, seven rebounds and four steals.

The teams traded the lead early before Samford used an 8-0 run to open a 27-18 advantage with 9:36 left in the first half.

But WKU used its own 10-2 run to climb back within one at 29-28.

Ohmer's steal and layup tied it at 30-30 with 1:37 left, and Hollingsworth's 3-pointer from the corner gave the Hilltoppers their first lead since the opening four minutes. They led 33-32 at the half.

Samford pulled back in front 41-40 early in the second half, but the Hilltoppers went on the deciding 19-4 run, opening a 59-45 lead with 9:30 left on another Ohmer 3. WKU eventually led by as much as 19.

The Hilltoppers had three more steals Sunday (12) than they had in any regular-season game last season.

Samford was picked to finish second in the Southern Conference and returned all five starters from a team that finished 20-16 last year under head coach Scott Padgett – the program's most victories in 11 years and its first winning season since 2005-06.

The Hilltoppers improved to 56-5 all-time in preseason exhibition games and have won 24 straight preseason tune-ups dating back to a 2002-03 loss to the Harlem Globetrotters.