Coming off their first win in six games, WKU (13-11, 5-8) looked to build momentum with another conference win against a scrappy UTEP (11-12, 4-8) team. The Miners were physical from the jump, as they imposed their will early and made it hard for the Hilltoppers to score points.
WKU was much better in the second half on both sides of the ball, resulting in a 74-69 win at home.
WKU was able to settle down and run effective offensive sets as the game went on, but still found themselves down at halftime 37-33. This team has started off slow recently, and it's starting to become a theme. They'll need to start clicking much faster if they want to end the season hot, especially when they play at home.
Today, one of the late-great Hilltoppers in Dwight Smith was honored for his illustrious career at Western Kentucky. His surviving siblings, including two brothers and one sister, had the pleasure of revealing his newly-retired jersey at center court. Thank you to the Smith family for their contributions to WKU over the years. Today's win was in Smith's honor.
Dontaie Allen is starting to find his groove, he led the Hilltoppers in first half scoring for the second straight game with 10 points, making three of his six shot attempts. Allen's skillset can be used in various ways and head coach Rick Stansbury is starting to utilize him better as a main scorer.
Allen ended the game with 25 points, seven rebounds, and a steal. He topped his performance from last game, which was a season high, but it took him just one game to surpass his WKU career high. Allen is playing in his new role effectively and it's added a new element to this team's offense, which came around at the right time.
"UTEP is really good basketball team," said Coach Stansbury. "They're probably the most toughest, most aggressive team in this league."
IT WAS OVER WHEN: UTEP initially gave the lead up at the beginning of the second half, and they could never get it back. A Dayvion McKnight jumper with 16:07 remaining tied the game at 42 and ignited an 11-0 run for the Hilltoppers that would give them a 51-42 lead. WKU's defensive intensity also increased as well, they only allowed the Miners to make 33.3% of their shot attempts and just 21.4% from behind the arc. Great signs from a team who's had their second half struggles recently.
HE STOLE THE SHOW: Forward Dontaie Allen was easily the star of the show this afternoon, finishing with 25 points, making 8 of his 15 attempts, and seven rebounds. Allen also was able to make five of his eight three pointers, which was huge, because WKU only had seven total. Back to back great performances for Allen and he makes this team more dangerous on the offensive end.
THE STAT DOESN'T LIE: WKU ended the game with 19 made free throws, seven more than UTEP. The Hilltoppers also bested the Miners on the glass, finishing with 33 rebounds to their 28. Coach Stansbury said the key's to winning this game was hitting more free throws while grabbing more rebounds. They did both.
WHAT A PLAY: Center Jamarion Sharp was everywhere on the defensive end today, blocking a total of six shots. Sharp's fifth block was the most emphatic, sending an attempted UTEP shot into the band's performance area. This play got the crowd on their feet and added more momentum in the Hilltoppers favor.
THE BOTTOM LINE: Although it hasn't been easy, WKU has won back-to-back games after losing five straight, and they're playing with confidence once again. Both games have been the Hilltoppers starting off slow, but finding their groove when it's mattered and that's always the goal. If they can piece it all together in these next few games, this team can be in a great position before the conference tournament. As stated above, this task won't be an easy one, but when this team is playing their best, they can compete with anyone in C-USA. The Hilltoppers will look to make it three wins in a row this Thursday at home against a good Middle Tennessee team (14-9) at 7:00 P.M. (CT).
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