Western Kentucky (13-5, 2-2 C-USA) is set to continue Conference USA play on Saturday night, traveling to El Paso, TX. to face off against UTEP (10-8, 1-2 C-USA) at the Don Haskins Center.
Saturday night's matchup between the Hilltoppers and the Miners will mark the 10th all-time meeting as Western Kentucky holds a considerable 8-1 advantage over UTEP in the series dating back to 2015.
Western Kentucky is coming off a close 72-70 loss to New Mexico State in their first road competition of the week in Las Cruces. The Hilltoppers shot 44.6% (25-56) from the floor, 30.4% (7-23) from beyond the arc and 72.2% (13-18) from the free throw line.
WKU senior guard Khristian Lander led the Hilltoppers on the scoreboard, dropping 19 points, two rebounds, four assists and three steals on the night.
Another Hilltopper to make his presence known was WKU senior forward Tyrone Marshall Jr., who picked up a total of 16 points, six rebounds, four assists, one block and four steals.
WKU redshirt senior guard Brandon Newman was explosive once again for the Hilltoppers, recording 13 points, eight rebounds, one assist and one steal in the loss.
Babacar Faye also established himself for the Hilltoppers on the floor, collecting 10 points, six rebounds, three assists and one block.
UTEP picked up their first victory in Conference USA play on Thursday night, defeating Middle Tennessee 73-59 at home. The Miners shot 47.9% (23-48) from the field, 42.9% (6-14) from three-point range and 72.4% (21-29) from the free throw line.
Junior forward Otis Frazier III led the Miners on the scoreboard, dropping a grand total of 21 points, four rebounds, two assists, one block and eight steals in the win.
UTEP senior guard Tae Hardy was another gamechanger for the Miners, picking up 20 points, one rebound, two assists and one steal.
Senior guard Zid Powell and junior guard Corey Camper Jr. were unstoppable for the Miners, collecting a combined 20 points in the team's win over the Blue Raiders.
Powell finished the contest with 10 points, four rebounds, one assist and one steal while Camper closed out the game with 10 points and one steal.
Western Kentucky and UTEP are set to continue their C-USA schedule on Saturday night as the opening tip is slated for 8 p.m. CT. The matchup is set to air on ESPN+
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