Kentucky-native Teagan Moore played like he understood the “Battle of the Bluegrass” Monday night.

Moore, who entered WKU’s contest against EKU as the Hilltoppers’ leading scorer, led WKU with 22 points, shooting 8-15 from the floor. His layup with under three minutes gave WKU a 74-72 lead, the 13th lead change of the night, and sparked WKU’s 13-7 game-ending run to topple the Colonels 87-79.

“He’s (Moore) a special player,” Head Coach Hank Plona said. “He can affect the game in a lot of different ways and plays with the intent to win at all times.”

Behind Moore, senior forward Grant Newell and freshman guard Armello Boone each took charge in separate halves. Newell ended the night with 15 points, 10 of which came in the first half, and 12 of Boone’s 14 points came in the second half.

A Boone dunk off an EKU turnover gave the Hilltoppers a three-point lead and any remaining Colonel momentum with 3:17 to play. The dunk came at the end of a 7-0 WKU run, which brought the Hilltoppers out of a four-point hole.

The first half ended with a 37-36 WKU lead, featuring seven lead changes and no run exceeding six points. The Hilltoppers hit just four 3-pointers in the period and scored ten fastbreak points. Moore and Newell led the way in scoring with 12-10, respectively.

The Hilltoppers were strong in transition all night, giving up just three turnovers compared to EKU’s 14. WKU racked up 11 steals while outscoring the Colonels in points off forced turnovers, 15-2, and fastbreak points, 27-3.

“We made something good happen and made them pay on the other end,” Plona said on the ESPN broadcast. “We were able to use our speed, our length, our athleticism.”