Freshman guard Taveion Hollingsworth’s hot second-half shooting sparked a comeback for WKU Basketball on Thursday night, as the Hilltoppers rallied for a 72-60 win at UTEP.
Hollingsworth knocked down a career-high five 3-pointers – all in the second half – as WKU (16-6 overall, 8-1 Conference USA) earned its fifth straight road win, including its fourth in a row in league play. The Hilltoppers had to overcome a two-point halftime deficit to do so.
Senior forward Justin Johnson notched his 31st career double-double with 20 points, 12 rebounds and three assists, while Hollingsworth finished with 17 points.
Redshirt junior guard Lamonte Bearden added 11 points, while senior forward Dwight Coleby had 10 points, eight rebounds and a career-high three assists.
Senior guard Darius Thompson finished with nine points, eight assists, eight rebounds and three steals.
WKU used a 12-4 run to build its largest advantage of the first half at 22-17 after a 3-pointer by freshman guard Jake Ohmer.
But UTEP took advantage of cold outside shooting by the Hilltoppers, reclaimed the lead multiple times and took a 32-30 advantage into halftime.
WKU found its shooting stroke in the second half with Hollingsworth leading the way. A layup by Bearden made it 51-44 Hilltoppers with 12:08 to play.
UTEP answered with its own 9-0 run to pull back in front 53-51, but WKU scored 11 of the next 13 points to charge in front for good.
The Miners got within four again at 64-60 with 1:32 left, but Johnson knocked down a pair of free throws to pad the cushion, then followed with a dunk to put it away.
WKU made 6 of 12 3-pointers in the second half after netting just 2 of 11 before halftime. The Hilltoppers shot 47.4 percent from the field, outrebounded UTEP 36-27 and outscored the Miners 34-18 in the paint.
Omega Harris led UTEP (7-15, 2-8) with 16 points.
The Hilltoppers stay on the road in Texas for a matchup at UTSA at 3 p.m. CT Saturday in San Antonio.
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.
-@WKUSports-
Zach Greenwell
Associate Director
WKU Athletic Communications/Media Relations
