Graduate guard Ryan Myers’ 19 first-half points gave WKU Men’s Basketball a four-point halftime lead, which they took to the final buzzer to defeat Evansville 80-79

Already down 10 with 13 minutes to play in the first half, the Hilltoppers pulled it back to a one-point game before giving up four turnovers in two minutes, powering a 7-0 Evansville run. Down 27-19, WKU found a rhythm, proceeding to finish the period outscoring the aces 17-5. 

Myers put up eight of those 17 points, posting 19 before halftime and finishing the game with 27 points, shooting 9-16 from the floor and 7-10 from beyond the arc.

Coming out of halftime, the Hilltoppers kept up the pressure, outscoring the Aces 30-19 through the first ten minutes of the period. The Aces gave the Hilltoppers a scare, pulling within three in the final 45 seconds.

Evansville’s freshman guard Leif Moeller matched Myers’ 19-point first half with a 19-point second half, powering the Aces to outscore the Hilltoppers 28-14 in the final 10 minutes of play.

In a last-ditch effort, Aces senior forward AJ Casey sank a layup with zero seconds showing on the clock. WKU hung on to win 80-79

“There was a 10-minute stretch late in the first half and early in the second half where we played like we’re capable of playing,” said Head Coach Hank Plona. “A lot of things to clean up, we looked a little sluggish all week, to be honest with you.”

WKU season scoring leader, redshirt sophomore guard Teagan Moore, put up 15 points, shooting 4-8 from the floor, bolstering the offense behind Myers. 

The Hilltoppers struggled to stick to their identity of attacking the rim at times; Evansville senior forward Connor Turnbull posted 9 blocks. Senior forward Bryant Selebangue posted a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds. 

WKU heads to Huntington, West Virginia to take on the Marshall Thundering Herd Dec 10. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. and is streaming on ESPN+.