Western Kentucky defeated the University of Cumberlands 88-59 in the final tune-up of the preseason in front of an raucous crowd at Diddle Arena.
WKU senior forward Jairus Hamilton showcased his dominance on the court on Friday as he led the Hilltoppers' offense with 22 points and 11 rebounds. WKU sophomore guard Dayvion McKnight also had an outstanding performance with 16 points, 11 assists, and nine rebounds.
The Hilltoppers dominated from the field, shooting 52% on 35-67 shooting. The Patriots struggled shooting, going 29% on 19-65 shooting.
From the three-point line, WKU was 46% (11-of-24) compared to the University of Cumberlands, who shot 32% (12-of-37).
WKU additionally improved in rebounding since Monday night's game as they out-rebounded Cumberlands 48-35 while both teams broke even on the offensive glass with 11 each.
The Patriots won the opening tip but within seconds, WKU fifth year guard Josh Anderson stole the ball and dished out to redshirt senior Jaylen Butz who grabbed a defensive rebound off his initial missed layup.
A pass from McKnight to WKU redshirt senior guard Luke Frampton kickstarted the outstanding shooting night for the Hilltoppers as Frampton drained a shot from deep.
Three consecutive defensive rebounds grabbed by the Hilltoppers resulted in six unanswered points for Butz as WKU was on a 9-0 run.
The Hilltoppers continued to extend their lead as McKnight made a layup and WKU senior forward Jairus Hamilton went 1-of-2 from the the free throw line.
Cumberlands junior guard J.J. Ramey ended the Hilltopper scoring run as he drilled two consecutive three-pointers followed by another three-point make by junior guard Kamari Kenemore.
A made three-pointer by Cumberland's Steven Fitzgerald and a second-chance layup by junior forward Isaiah Thompson tied the game up 14-14.
Coming out of a media timeout knotted at 16 a piece, the Hilltoppers pulled forward as McKnight, Butz, Anderson and Hamilton helped extend WKU's lead 27-21.
Although the Patriots attempted to respond, three-pointers from Frampton and Hamilton proved to be too much for Cumberlands to handle.
The Hilltoppers ignited the crowd with two last-minute dunks off turnovers as Jamarion Sharp slammed one home followed by an Anderson rim-rocker.
At the half, the Hilltoppers led the University of Cumberlands 41-32 with Butz and McKnight leading the way for WKU with 10 points each. Butz had six total rebounds in the first half of play while McKnight had three.
WKU shot 54.5% from the field in the first half while the Patriots were 35.3% from the field. The Patriots held control of the offensive boards six to five, but WKU outrebounded Cumberlands defensively 16-11.
In total, WKU outrebounded Cumberlands 21-17.
Less than three minutes into the second half began, Hamilton began to heat up offensively as he hit a long three followed by a couple of makes at the charity stripe.
Hamilton continued to showcase his shooting with another three pointer and layup.
At the final buzzer, WKU handled the University of Cumberlands with ease 88-59 to conclude the preseason.
The Hilltoppers open up the regular season at Diddle Arena on Tuesday as they host the Alabama State Hornets at 7 p.m.
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