Tuesday, November 22, 2016

North Carolina A&T Aggies at Western Kentucky Hilltoppers

BOWLING GREEN, Kentucky — WKU Hilltopper Basketball returns home after its first road trip to host North Carolina A&T at 7 p.m. CT Tuesday in the 34th Annual BB&T Classic at E.A. Diddle Arena.

The Hilltoppers (2-1) are coming off a 90-69 loss at Belmont in the first road game under first-year head coach Rick Stansbury. Belmont made 16 3-pointers to run past the Hilltoppers, who led by 11 at one point in the first half.

North Carolina A&T has lost two games in a row to East Carolina and Grambling State after opening the season with a victory over Greensboro College. The Aggies (1-2) are led by junior forward Davaris McGowens, who averages 15 points and 8.3 rebounds per game.


This is the first time WKU has ever faced North Carolina A&T. Stansbury is 1-0 all-time against the Aggies.

WKU Notes

GAME 4
WKU (2-1) vs. North Carolina A&T (1-2)
November 22, 2016 | 7 p.m. (CT)
Bowling Green, Ky. | E.A. Diddle Arena (7,326)

BROADCAST
Listen: Hilltopper IMG Sports Network (WKLX 100.7 FM flagship), TuneIn Radio (free) (Randy Lee, pxp | Hal Schmitt, analysis)
Watch: Fox College Sports, WKU PBS (Bowling Green), WBNA (Louisville)
Live Stats: Gametracker

QUICK SHOTS
• After Tuesday’s game, WKU will not play at home for almost a full calendar month. The Hilltoppers play seven straight games on the road or at neutral sites before returning to host Ohio on Dec. 21.
• WKU is 51-15 (.773) at E.A. Diddle Arena over the last four-plus seasons after going 27-17 (.614) in the three seasons prior. The Hilltoppers are 575-162 all-time at Diddle Arena for a .780 winning percentage.
• The Hilltoppers have won 11 straight nonconference home games dating back to a loss to fourth-ranked Louisville on Dec. 20, 2014.
• The Hilltoppers have drawn at least 4,149 fans in each of their first two home games. They drew a larger crowd just three times all of last season.
• The Hilltoppers started guards Junior LomombaPancake Thomas and Que Johnsonalongside forwards Justin Johnson and Ben Lawson in each of their first three games.
• WKU ranks seventh in the country in 3-point percentage (.462) and 54th in free-throw percentage (.759).
• WKU has made at least one 3-pointer in 909 consecutive games, dating back to March 15, 1987. The 3-point shot was instituted prior to the 1986-87 season.
• Junior Justin Johnson has made 5 of 8 shots from 3-point range in his last two games after netting just one 3-pointer over his first two seasons.
• Graduate senior Pancake Thomas has scored 31 of his 37 total points through three games this season in the second half.
• Pancake Thomas and graduate senior Junior Lomomba are a combined 25 of 26 from the free-throw line. WKU’s guards are a combined 30 of 33 (.909) from the charity stripe.
• Pancake Thomas played in his 100th career game at Belmont. Junior Lomomba (94) and graduate senior Que Johnson (96) are also nearing the 100-game milestone.
• Junior Justin Johnson needs 301 points this season to become the 49th player in Hilltopper Basketball history to score 1,000 career points.
• Graduate senior Que Johnson needs 121 points to reach 1,000 for his career across his time at Washington State and WKU. Pancake Thomas needs 226 points to reach 1,000 for his career across his time at New Mexico, Hartford and WKU.
• Senior Ben Lawson ranks fifth in WKU history with 134 career blocked shots. His 66 blocks in 2015-16 were the seventh-most in a season in Hilltopper history. Lawson joins Jeremy Evans, Elgrace Wilborn and Chris Marcus as Hilltoppers with at least 50 blocks in multiple seasons.
• Head coach Rick Stansbury needs five more wins to reach 300 victories for his career.
• Rick Stansbury is the first Hilltopper coach to start his first season 2-0 since Murray Arnold in the 1986-87 campaign, and just the third since 1922, joining Arnold and E.A. Diddle.

PROMOTIONS
WKU Faculty/Staff Night: Faculty/staff receive two complimentary reserved seat tickets for the game at the WKU Box Office in Diddle Arena prior to gameday. Must show valid WKU ID. Offer not valid on gameday.
Mister B’s Weekday Two-Pack: Two tickets to the game and a small pizza for $25. Offer valid online and at the Diddle Box Office (while supplies last). 
Big Red’s Rascals Night: All members of Big Red’s Rascals will receive a complimentary reserved ticket for them and a friend to the game, and all other friends and family may purchase additional tickets for just $5 apiece.

TICKETS
WKU Ticket Office: Online at WKUTickets.com, in person at E.A. Diddle Arena, via phone at 1-800-5-BIG Red or 745-5222 locally.

MED CENTER HEALTH
The 2016-17 WKU Basketball season is presented by Med Center Health. With The Medical Center at its core, Med Center Health has served Southcentral Kentucky for 90 years, and its system of care includes six acute care hospitals, a complete network of immediate to emergency services and services in dozens of specialties. Whether it is emergency treatment for heart attack victims or preventative programs to improve the health of the communities it serves, Med Center Health is committed to providing the highest level of care and service.

How to follow the Hilltoppers: For complete information on WKU Hilltopper Basketball, follow the team's social media channels, @WKUBasketball on Twitter, @WKUBasketball on Instagram, and WKU Basketball on Facebook.

WESTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

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