Western Kentucky (19-12, 11-7 C-USA) finished the regular season with a 78-69 victory over Marshall (11-20, 4-14 C-USA) to secure the No. 2 seed in C-USA's east division as well as a bye to the quarterfinals of the C-USA Tournament.

Saturday's affair was the last home contest for fifth year guard Josh Anderson and graduate guard Camron Justice, who will be ending their collegiate careers at the end of this season.

Senior forward Jairus Hamilton, who suffered a knee injury on Feb. 19 against Old Dominion, made an explosive return on Saturday, coming off the bench to lead the Hilltoppers' offense alongside sophomore guard Dayvion McKnight.

Western Kentucky's offense was led by Hamilton and McKnight, who combined for 32 points and 12 rebounds. Hamilton recorded 16 points, six rebounds, two assists and one steal while McKnight grabbed 16 points, six rebounds, four assists and four steals.

Redshirt senior guard Luke Frampton and junior center Jamarion Sharp also combined for 24 points each. Frampton dropped 12 points, two rebounds and one steal. Sharp had a double-double performance, recording 12 points, 12 rebounds, seven blocks and one steal.

Anderson and Justice were productive in their last home contest. Anderson dropped 11 points, eight rebounds, four assists and four steals while Justice recorded nine points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals.

Sophomore guard/forward Marko Serenac led Marshall's offense with 18 points, seven rebounds, one assist, one block and one steal.

Redshirt sophomore guard Andrew Taylor and junior guard Taevion Kinsey combined for 32 points and 14 rebounds. The two dropped 16 points and seven rebounds each. Taylor also had four assists and one steal while Kinsey recorded seven assists.

The Hilltoppers also recorded 44 rebounds, five turnovers, 20 points off turnovers and 13 assists.

The Thundering Herd won the rebounding battle 47-44 and also had 15 turnovers, four points off turnovers and 15 assists.

McKnight and Frampton were leading the Hilltoppers' offense at the half, dropping nine points each. McKnight also recorded two rebounds, two assists and one steal while Frampton recorded one rebound and one steal.

Sharp was also key in the first half, recording eight points, seven rebounds, five blocks and one steal.

Kinsey was leading Marshall on offense with 10 points, four rebounds and two assists.

Taylor was also important as he had seven points, six rebounds and two assists.

Sarenac finished the first half with six points, four rebounds, one assist and one steal.

Western Kentucky also had 25 rebounds, two turnovers, five points off turnoivers and seven assists.

The Thundering Herd recorded 25 rebounds, eight turnovers and six assists.

WKU secures a No. 2 seed and a bye to Thursday's quarterfinals round: The Hilltoppers, who earlier this season were on a five-game losing streak and below .500 on the season, have won nine out of their last 10 games. With the sweep of Marshall, the Hilltoppers have not only secured the no. 2 seed but they have secured almost a week of rest before they play next. The Hilltoppers are set to play Thursday in the quarterfinals game. Marshall and FIU will play in the first round on Tuesday and the winner will take on LA Tech on Wednesday. The winner of that game will face the Hilltoppers on Thursday.

Hamilton's explosive return: Senior forward Jairus Hamilton, who had been absent for the past two games, made his return on Saturday. Hamilton, who was running through warmups with his team ahead of tipoff, didn't start. Hamilton subbed in for Frampton at 12:17 in the first half and was a key piece to the Hilltoppers' offense the rest of the way. He dropped 16 points, six rebounds, two assists and one steal. With his knee healed, Hamilton will be incredibly important heading into the C-USA Tournament.

Anderson's emotional finish at Diddle Arena: On Friday, Josh Anderson was asked if he was going to drop a crazy dunk against Marshall on Saturday. In the final minutes of regulation, he delivered. Anderson pushed the volume level at Diddle Arena to the max with a powerful final dunk to cap off his career at home. The fifth year guard, who tied the program record for most games played on Wednesday's meeting with Marshall, became the new record-holder on Saturday in his 142nd career game.

Western Kentucky is set to compete in the C-USA Tournament in Frisco, TX. The No. 2 seeded Hilltoppers will play in Thursday's quarterfinals round against either FIU, Marshall or LA Tech.

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