WKU Hilltopper Basketball wrapped up a perfect 3-0 exhibition season Tuesday with a 109-66 victory over Cumberland University at E.A. Diddle Arena.
The Hilltoppers shot 68.9 percent from the field – including 77.8 percent in the second half – and tallied 25 assists in the convincing win.
They also outrebounded Cumberland 37-23, outscored the Phoenix 62-28 in the paint and scored 33 points off 20 turnovers by CU.
For the second straight exhibition win, six Hilltoppers scored in double figures, led by 21 points apiece from senior forward Justin Johnson and freshman guards Jake Ohmer and Taveion Hollingsworth. Johnson and Hollingsworth each had five assists, Johnson added seven rebounds, and Ohmer grabbed three steals.
Senior forward Dwight Coleby recorded 17 points, nine rebounds and four blocks, and senior guard Darius Thompson ended up one assist shy of a triple-double with 16 points, 11 rebounds, nine assists and three steals.
Freshman forward Marek Nelson chipped in 11 points on 5 of 5 shooting.
For the second straight game, the Hilltoppers finished the first half with a huge run – this one a 23-2 burst that gave WKU a 55-28 advantage at the break.
Ohmer scored 16 first-half points, including a 3-pointer just before the buzzer. WKU shot 61.8 percent in the first half.
WKU eventually led by as much as 47 in the waning minutes. The Hilltoppers snagged 11 steals as a team and finished their three exhibitions with 38 steals.
Diondrey Holt Jr. paced Cumberland with 13 points.
The Hilltoppers improved to 58-4 all-time in preseason exhibition games and have won 26 straight preseason tune-ups dating back to a 2002-03 loss to the Harlem Globetrotters.
WKU opens the regular season at home against Missouri State at 7 p.m. Friday at E.A. Diddle Arena. The Bears were picked to win the Missouri Valley Conference, while senior forward Alize Johnson was named MVC Preseason Player of the Year.
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-
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Zach Greenwell
Associate Director
WKU Athletic Communications/Media Relations
