BOWLING GREEN, Ky. -- Western
Kentucky grabbed an early lead and cruised to a 75-57 victory over ULM Thursday
evening inside E.A. Diddle Arena.
The Hilltoppers shot 49.1 percent and finished 8-of-20 from 3-point
range to snap a three-game losing streak. The Warhawks struggled offensively
all night and finished at 36.4 percent from the field.
Junior Amos Olatayo once
again led the Warhawks with 18 points, six rebounds and two steals. Olatayo
finished 6-of-17 from the field and 2-of-3 from 3-point range for his fourth
straight double-digit scoring game.
Sophomore Trent Mackey went
4-of-9 from 3-point range and finished with 13 points, while junior Jayon James chipped in 11 points and
two assists.
The Hilltoppers led by 12 points at the break and shot 60.9 percent in
the second half to thwart any chance of a ULM comeback. George Fant and T.J. Price
each scored 15 points to lead four WKU players in double-digit scoring. Jamal Crook added 13 points and Brandon Harris finished with 12 points
- all on 3-pointers.
WKU broke open a tie game with a 12-2 run to take a 19-9 advantage at
the 9:21 mark of the first half. After the Warhawks cut the lead to six points
with just over two minutes left in the half, the Hilltoppers closed on a 9-3
run to take a 34-22 advantage at the break.
The Warhawks got as close as 61-50 with just under 10 minutes to play,
but a 12-2 run by the Hilltoppers put the game away. WKU outscored ULM 32-18 in
the paint and 24-8 off the bench. The
Hilltoppers out-rebounded the Warhawks 43-28.
The Warhawks travel to Middle Tennessee on
Saturday for a 5:30 p.m. tipoff inside the Murphy Center.
