11/9/2023 basketball Edit

Western Kentucky opens road play at Wichita State

Drew Toennies • InsideHilltopperSports

Staff Writer

Western Kentucky (1-0) is set to open road play on Thursday evening as the Hilltoppers travel to Charles Coch Arena to face off against Wichita State (1-0).

"I've watched Coach Mills, he and I have been friends for a long, long time. I've watched his teams at Oral Roberts. Whether he's at Oral Roberts or he's at Wichita State, he's probably going to run a lot of the same stuff. He's gonna spread the floor and he's got a good post player, so I would assume they're going to be very sound."

— Steve Lutz

WKU head coach Steve Lutz and company enter Thursday's non-conference matchup after opening the regular season with a 90-64 victory over Kentucky Wesleyan on Monday.

The Hilltoppers shot 56.1% (32-57) from field goal range, 30.0% (6-20) from beyond the arc and 83.3% (20-24) from the free throw line.

Leading the Hilltoppers on the scoreboard was WKU redshirt senior guard Brandon Newman, posting 14 points, five rebounds and one block in his Hilltopper debut.

WKU junior forward Babacar Faye also made an impact in his first game with the program, picking up a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds and one steal.

The Hilltoppers also benefitted from freshman guard Teagan Moore, who dropped 12 points, one rebound and one assist in his collegiate debut.

WKU senior guard Khristian Lander marked his return with the Hilltoppers by putting up 10 points, five rebounds, three assists and one steal.

"They usually don't make mistakes and they play very good, solid fundamental basketball. We'll go celebrate this win and I'll watch some film tonight and then we'll start preparing in the morning."

— Steve Lutz

Wichita State head coach Paul Mills led the Shockers to a 76-59 win over Lipscomb Academy this past Monday night.

Wichita State shot 47.7% (31-65) from the floor, 23.1% (3-13) from beyond the arc and 64.7% (11-17) from the free throw line.

Leading the Shockers' effort on the boards was redshirt junior guard Colby Rogers, collecting 20 points, six rebounds, one assist and one steal.

Wichita State redshirt sophomore forward Isaac Abidde recorded 13 points, five rebounds, one assist and one steal.

Another contributor was junior guard Xavier Bell added 12 points, one rebound, five assists and one steal.

Western Kentucky enters Thursday night's competition with a 1-0 advantage over Wichita State as the Hilltoppers hold a 3-2 lead over the Shockers in the series dating back to 1941.

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