A strong defensive second half helped WKU Men’s Basketball pull away from Evansville Saturday afternoon 79-65.

In a game that saw the Purple Aces lead for only 7:32, WKU used a 47-point second half to stretch to a 14-point lead late in the game, proving insurmountable for Evansville.

The win gives WKU their first road win of the season and moves them 5-3 on the season.

Senior forward Babacar Faye led the Hilltoppers with 19 points and 12 rebounds, his first double-double of the season. Senior guard Don McHenry added 17 points and four assists. 

Guards Braxton Bayless and Freshman Julius Thedford both scored in double-figures, with Bayless having 11 points and five assists and Thedford scoring 16 points.

Both teams had 10 turnovers each, but Evansville won the points-off-turnover battle 17-12.  The Purple Aces shot 9-31 from beyond the arc and were outrebounded 41-37.

The Hilltoppers shot 40.7% from the field and 38% from the three-point line in the first half. Freshman guard Julius Thedford scored 10 points in 11 minutes. Senior guard Babacar Faye complimented with seven points and six rebounds.

Faye added 12 points and six rebounds in the second half. McHenry doubled his points from the first half, scoring 12 points on 5-8 shooting. The Hilltoppers shot 47.1% from the field in the first half. WKU outrebounded the Purple Aces 22-18 and forced six turnovers.  Evansville shot 10-28 from the field and was held to 4-15 from the second half.

The Purple Aces went into halftime with the lead thanks to seven WKU turnovers and 12 points off those turnovers.

WKU will return to Diddle Arena on Tuesday, Dec. 10 to host Tennessee State.

First Half

Evansville won the tip, but opening three-point baskets by Faye and McHenry gave WKU a 6-0 to start. The Hilltoppers jumped out to a 14-7 lead with 13:30 left in the first half, but an 8-1 Evansville lead tied the game. 

With 9:27 remaining, the Purple Aces grabbed their first lead of the game, going back and forth with WKU. An offensive rebound by Evansville gave them a second-chance three-point shot followed by a dunk, putting the Purple Aces up 31-26 with 1:25 remaining in the half. WKU ended the half on a 6-1 run, going into halftime down one, 32-33.

Second Half

The Purple Aces opened the second half with a 34-38 lead. Buckets by Bayless and McHenry helped WKU jump to a 47-41 lead with 14:48 remaining in the game. The Hilltoppers continued an 8-0 run through two minutes to jump to a 55-41 lead. 

Evansville responded with a 9-0 run to cut the lead 57-53. The Hilltoppers went on a 10-0 run, grabbing a double-digit lead 69-55 with 4:22 left in the second half. The Hilltoppers hit 10 free throws on 12 trips to the line in the second half, keeping the game out of reach from the Purple Aces. An and-one basket with 34 seconds remaining by Tyrone Marshall Jr. sealed the Hilltopper win 79-65.

Sports Reporter Michael Givner Jr. can be reached at [email protected].