BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (WBKO) – WKU Hilltopper Basketball fell to Grand Canyon, 74-72, on the road Saturday night at Global Credit Union Arena.

A total of three Hilltoppers managed double figures in the scoring column in the loss, with Don McHenry leading WKU with 23 points along with five rebounds, an assist and a steal.

The Tops won the tip and opened the scoring for Saturday night’s outing as Tyrone Marshall Jr. connected on a basket 12 seconds into the game. The Tops forced GCU into its first turnover and Marshall cashed in again on the other end with a lay-in, giving WKU a 6-2 lead three minutes later. The Lopes responded on three straight possessions capped by a quick layup to give GCU an advantage. 8-6 ahead before the first media timeout.

McHenry hit his first three-pointer of the night out of the media break to regain the lead for WKU, 9-8.

The Tops held GCU without a field goal for 3:47, leading 19-16, before the Lopes cut the lead to one with a successful jumper at 10:41 in the first. Trailing 20-19, Marshall found Babacar Faye who was fouled going up, converting on two foul shots to put WKU back in front 21-20 with 8:59 left in the first.

Enoch Kalambay connected on his first three and Khristian Lander found Marshall for another triple, giving WKU its largest lead of the first half, up 29-22 with 6:28 left in the half. -time. McHenry found Lander for his first points of the night with a quick layup with 4:05 before the break.

Trailing 32-31, Lander connected on a baseline three to put the Tops back in front with just over two minutes left in the period. Late in the shot clock, Lander drove to the rack and connected, putting the Hilltoppers back in front and maintaining a one-point lead going into the break, 36-35.

Lander scored the first points of the second half, bringing his point total to nine and putting the Tops ahead by three, 38-35.

Before the first media break, freshman Julius Thedford was fouled on a drive to the basket. Thedford made one of two after the media timeout, giving the Tops a two-point lead, 45-43, with 15:34 to play. GCU responded with a triple to regain the lead, then followed up with another for Lopes’ largest lead of the half, ahead 49-45.

WKU answered the evening count at 49, the eighth tie of the game, with 12:58 to play. The Tops regained the lead, 51-50, as McHenry found Marshall for a converted lay. The Lopes coughed up the ball after going out of bounds and a McHenry triple put WKU up four before the under-12 media timeout.

Jalen Jackson became the seventh Hilltopper to scratch the score column with a made floater in the paint to give WKU a 56-52 advantage with 11 minutes left. The Lopes used a 6-2 run to bring the match to its ninth tie, 58 for all, with less than nine to play.

McHenry silenced the crowd with a three in front of the Hilltopper bench to give the Tops a 61-58 lead with eight minutes remaining. McHenry pushed his point total above 20 with banked transit traffic, giving WKU a 65-58 lead with 6:45 left in regulation and forcing GCU into a timeout.

Lander missed a three and was fouled heading to the rack before converting on both free throws to extend the Tops’ lead to nine with 5:53 remaining. With 3:06 left in regulation, the goaltenders were called on a Marshall layup attempt following a Lopes turnover, giving the Tops a 69-62 lead.

Faye made one of two free throws for a 70-64 lead with 2:19 to play. A 5-0 run from Lopes forced WKU to take a timeout with 44 seconds remaining, now leading 72-71. GCU converted on the and-one and knotted the game at 72 for all.

The Lopes connected on a go-ahead run with 0.4 seconds left, securing a 74-72 victory in favor of GCU.

Hilltopper Basketball returns home and continues the 2024-25 season by hosting Campbellsville on Tuesday, November 12. Tip-off from EA Diddle Arena in Bowling Green, Kentucky is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT with ESPN+ set to broadcast the game.

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