It’s a celebration in Vette City.
WKU mens basketball defeated Middle Tennessee, 85-54 on Friday, advancing to the Conference Championship for the first time since 2019.
It was buzzer-to-buzzer domination for WKU, as they went into halftime with a near 20-point margin. Don McHenry and Khristian Lander combined for 22 of the Hilltoppers’ 46 points. The duo combined for a 52% field goal percentage, as well as a 50% three-point percentage.
That’s not all the pair were dominating. Behind Enoch Kalambay, Lander and McHenry sat tied for second place on the team in rebounds with three a piece.
The driving factor in the Hilltoppers’ impressive first-half margin was the turnover battle. WKU forced 12 turnovers compared to their seven, as well as converting 13 points off of their takeaways.
For Middle Tennessee, All-CUSA Second Team recipient Jestin Porter was doing what he could to keep his Blue Raiders in the game. His eight points, on 3-7 shooting, and 2-3 from behind the arch led the charge for MTSU, but they were unable to crack the dominant WKU offense.
Team First Half Statistics:
WKU: 17-31 FG, 8-13 3FG, 4-4 FT | 17 Rebounds: 15 Defensive, two Offensive.
MTSU: 10-29 FG, 5-14 3FG, 2-5 FT | 17 Rebounds: 12 Defensive, five Offensive.
The second half was more of the same. The Hilltopper offense showed no signs of slowing down, and as a result, picked up the biggest win of their season.
Brandon Newman dominated the second half. His 12 points, one rebound, and one assist on 75% from the field, and a perfect 2-2 from three carried the domination until the final buzzer.
Teagan Moore, a freshman who is still getting his first taste of C-USA tournament action, had eight rebounds in the second half, doubling his career high in the half alone, to give him 10 on the day.
The main difference maker was as simple as not being able to knock down shots. The Blue Raiders finished the night going 31% from the field, an 18-58 performance, with most of the lack of performance coming as their 27.6% second half.
When he could, Porter was still making the plays for the Blue Raiders. His six second half points led the team, but an early foul out capped off the game, and subsequently the season for Middle Tennessee State.
Team Second Half Statistics:
WKU: 14-33 FG, 3-9 3FG, 8-9 FT | 27 Rebounds: 22 Defensive, five Offensive.
MTSU: 8-29 FG, 2-13 3FG, 9-14 FT | 18 Rebounds: 15 Defensive, three Offensive.
WKU is set to face UTEP in the C-USA final on Saturday. Tip is set for 7:30 pm CT.
