WKU basketball: Hilltoppers end Marshall’s season with 59-45 win

The WKU basketball season will continue on after the Hilltoppers brought an end to the season for the Marshall Thundering Herd with a 59-45 victory in the third game of the 2015 Conference USA tournament.

Things couldn’t have started better for the Tops. Chris Harrison-Docks opened the scoring with a three ball, and hit two trey’s early to spark his confidence for the rest of the game. He’d finish as WKU’s leading scorer with 18 points.

Aside from CHD getting hot early, T.J. Price added a triple and Ben Lawson played arguably the best five minutes of his career to start the game, in which he recorded two blocks and drew two charge calls in consecutive possessions for the Herd.

Things went well for the Tops as they got out to an 11-1 lead, and then the Herd got points, and with it some momentum, as they went on a 7-0 run to draw within 11-8. After both teams got their legs under them, it was, for all intents and purposes, a stale mate, as shots didn’t fall, fouls were committed and rebounds were plentiful.

That took us to the end of the half, and WKU scored just two points in the final 5:30 of the first half.

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The second half, at times, wasn’t much better. At other times however, the Tops looked like they were a top-four seed, but could never quite put the Herd in the rear view mirror. They’d get up seven or nine points and then Marshall would go on a modest but effective 5-0 run to make things a game.

In the final eight or so minutes of the game however, the talent and experience of the Tops proved to be too much for the Herd, as they finally were able to pull themselves away as the wheels just fell off for Marshall.

Of all the good the Tops did tonight, most of it was done without George Fant on the floor, who grabbed two quick fouls in the first half and had a couple of tough-luck calls go against him in the second half. Big 44 only played 12 minutes. But the rest of the guys stood up, and three finished in double figures.

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Also helping make the win a bit easier for WKU was the way they were able to shut down Ryan Taylor, who finished the night with just eight points and nine rebounds. Only one Thunderer (is that how you say it?) finished in double figures – JP Kambola had 12.

While it wasn’t a perfect 40 minutes of hoops, it got the job done, and the Tops now will face the #4 seed, and host, UAB Blazers tomorrow evening.