Western Kentucky (18-12, 10-7 C-USA) establishes commanding lead in the first half to blast rival Marshall (11-19, 4-13 C-USA) at the Cam Henderson Center in Huntington, W.V. on Wednesday night.

With the win, the Hilltoppers are closer to achieving the second-place spot in C-USA's east division and a bye to the quarterfinals of the C-USA Tournament.

Redshirt senior guard Luke Frampton, who sat out against Middle Tennessee on Saturday due to a non-COVID related illness re-entered the starting lineup before tipoff and played 34 minutes.

With fifth year guard Josh Anderson's start against Marshall, he tied with Lynn Cole (1951-1955) for the most games played in program history. Anderson has played in 141 games.

Camron Justice led Western Kentucky's offense with 27 points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals.

Sophomore guard Dayvion McKnight was also crucial to the offense, recording 23 points and four assists.

Josh Anderson was consistent throughout the contest, finishing with 16 points, five rebounds, two assists and four steals.

Junior center Jamarion Sharp was also significant, finishing with 12 points, 11 rebounds, five blocks and two steals.

Marshall's offense was led by junior guard Taevion Kinsey, who finished with 24 points, six rebounds, five assists, one block and three steals.

Redshirt sophomore guard Andrew Taylor recorded 18 points, five rebounds, five assists and one steal.

Obinna Anochili-Killen recorded 13 points, nine rebounds, and four assists.

Western Kentucky also won the rebounding battle 35-34 and also recorded 14 turnovers, 15 points off turnovers and 10 assists.

Marshall also recorded 34 rebounds, 14 turnovers, 19 points off turnovers and 16 assists.

Sharp was near perfect for Western Kentucky in the first half, recording 12 points off flawless 6-of-6 shooting from the field as well as eight rebounds, three blocks and one steal.

Justice chipped in 11 points, three rebounds and three assists.

McKnight finished the first half with 10 points and three assists.

Anochili-Killen led Marshall with 10 points, five rebounds, two assists, one block and one steal.

Taylor had seven points, three rebounds, and two assists.

Kinsey had six points, four rebounds and two assists.

Western Kentucky was winning the rebounding battle at the half 22-18 and also recorded six turnovers, six points off turnovers and seven assists.

Marshall recorded 18 rebounds, six turnovers, nine points off turnovers and seven assists.

Soak up this rivalry week: Marshall leaves Conference USA following this season (or at least, wants to) and the Herd didn't want to go out without trying to spark a challenge from Western Kentucky. The dominant performance from the Hilltoppers in both halves didn't go uncontested as Marshall made several scoring runs, including a run that cut the deficit to seven at 12:42 in the second half. Marshall will have one last chance to rekindle the rivalry on Saturday at Diddle Arena.

Justice and McKnight shine again: Camron Justice and Dayvion McKnight shined against Marshall, combining for 50 points. Justice grabbed 27 points off 12-of-15 shooting from the field and 3-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc. Justice also grabbed four rebounds, four assists and three steals. McKnight dropped 23 points off 11-of-21 shooting from the field and 1-of-1 shooting from beyond the arc. McKnight also finished with one rebound and four assists.

Recognition for Anderson: Josh Anderson, who was dominating offensively earlier this season was giving the fans flashbacks of earlier this season, recording 16 points, five rebounds, two assists and four steals. Anderson's performance comes just in time as the Hilltoppers prepare for the C-USA Tournament in Frisco, Texas. Anderson is now tied for the most games played in Western Kentucky program history, playing his 141st game on Wednesday.

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