WKU Men’s Basketball takes down Louisiana Tech

Tucker Covey

Redshirt junior shooting guard Dontaie Allen (11) points for his teammates to change defensive position during the matchup with LA Tech in E.A. Diddle Arena on Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023. WKU won 76-66.

Jake McMahon

WKU Men’s Basketball (15-13, CUSA 7-10) defeated the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (13-15, CUSA 6-11) 76-66 Thursday, Feb. 23 at E.A. Diddle Arena

Junior guard Dayvion Mcknight had a great showing in the win. Mcknight led the game in scoring with 19 points and also tallied four rebounds and three assists. The guard also put himself on the line frequently in the ball game as he drew six fouls. 

Redshirt junior guard Dontaie Allen also played well against the Bulldogs. He dropped 17 points and shot 50% from three.

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“There’s no substitute for experience,” Head coach Rick Stansbury said. “He’s added a lot of things to his game besides just making the three.”

The win was huge for the Hilltoppers in terms of standings. WKU and Louisiana Tech came into the game tied in league play, but the win for the Hilltoppers put them a game ahead of the Bulldogs with three games to go. 

“This league is the best it’s ever been,” Stansbury said. “There’s probably nine or ten teams that can beat anybody on a given night.”

WKU got off to a hot start. A long range three from Dontaie Allen capped off an early 7-0 Hilltopper run. WKU continued to dominate in the early stages of the ball game. The Hilltoppers forced a Louisiana Tech timeout following a dominant 10-2 run, making it 17-4. 

Louisiana Tech began to find their stride on offense late in the half. However WKU was still able to take a double digit lead into halftime, 41-29. 

Louisiana Tech kept within striking distance to start the second half. WKU scored the first four points of the half, but the Bulldogs went on a 6-2 run to put their deficit back at 12, 47-35. 

Louisiana Tech continued to chip away at the Hilltopper lead. A four-point play ended a 10-5 Bulldog run and cut the WKU lead to seven, 52-45. 

The Bulldogs continued to dominate the second half. A Louisiana Tech putback layup cut the Hilltopper lead all the way down to four 65-57, forcing a Rick Stansbury timeout with five minutes to go. 

However, WKU was able to go on a huge run in the final five minutes of the game. Four straight made threes, including three from junior guard Khristian Lander aided an impressive 13-3 WKU run. WKU rode that run all the way to the end of the game to take the win 76-66. 

WKU will look to make it two straight on senior night against the UAB Blazers Saturday, Feb. 23 at E.A. Diddle Arena.

 

Sports reporter Jake McMahon can be reached at [email protected] .