BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Eastern Kentucky and Western Kentucky renewed their rivalry after a 10-year hiatus, and it was the home team coming out on top 75-63 in front of a rowdy crowd of 6,478.
Both teams came into the game with unblemished 5-0 records, and it looked as if Western Kentucky would control the game in the early going. The Hilltoppers worked themselves into an 11-point lead with 5:29 to play in the opening half on a layup from Boris Siakan, but the Colonels would rally to close the opening frame.
A trey from Jason McLeish started the Colonels on a 6-2 run to close the half, sending the Colonels to the locker room down just 32-28.
Eastern returned to the floor looking like a new team as the second half began, reeling off an 18-2 run over the first 5:48 of the final period to grab a 46-34 advantage, stunning the crowd into silence.
From there, however, the Hilltoppers seemed to regain their composure.
The home squad scored seven unanswered points to cut the lead to five with 12:20 to play. A Zach Ingles three-pointer at the 12:08 mark put the score at 52-44 and seemed to help stifle the WKU run.
Anthony Winchester answered the Ingles trey, but Ingles answered back, giving EKU a 52-44 lead with 12:08 remaining.
The Hilltoppers would answer again with a trey from Antonio Haynes, and the shot started the Hilltoppers on a 28-11 run to close out the game. The Hilltoppers defense also held the Colonels without a basket for a span of nearly seven minutes as the game wound to a close.
EKU head coach Travis Ford said, "I give Western Kentucky a lot of credit. They survived the run we made at them in the second half and they kept making big plays. In the last 10 minutes, I thought they got all the loose balls and made shots when the had to."
Matt Witt led the Colonels with 16 points and dishing out eight assists. Ingles posted 14 points, McLeish had 13, and Alonzo Hird scored 12. Hird led the team in rebounding with nine, just missing his second straight double-double.
Haynes led the Hilltoppers with 24 points.
The Colonels will return to action on Saturday at Robert Morris, with tip-off set for 7 PM.
