Western Kentucky Hilltoppers at Rice Owls
· NCAA Men's Basketball
92 - 85
Bearden's 3 helps W. Kentucky get 92-85 2 OT win over Rice
Josh Anderson followed Bearden's trey with a jumper and added four free throws in the final 90 seconds to secure Western Kentucky's third straight victory.
Rice's Ako Adams drained a deep 3-pointer to tie it at 80-80 with 15 seconds left in the first overtime. It appeared that Charles Bassey had a tip in at the buzzer for the win but he was called for offensive goal tending and the teams went to double overtime.
Anderson led all scorers with 24 points, nine rebounds and four steals for the Hilltoppers (14-10, 7-4 Conference USA). Jared Savage added 21 points and Bearden finished with 16 points and 11 assists.
Savage drained a 3 for a 71-70 lead with 1:02 left in regulation. Chris Mullins had a chance to win it for Rice but he split a pair of free throws with five seconds left. Bassey grabbed the rebound, kicked the ball out to Anderson who got off a mid-court shot at the buzzer that was just short.
Adams had a career-high 23 points to lead Rice (9-15, 4-7).
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Recent Plays
| 4th 0:00 | End of Game | 92 - 85 |
| 4th 0:01 | Charles Bassey Defensive Rebound. | 92 - 85 |
| 4th 0:01 | Ako Adams missed Three Point Jumper. | 92 - 85 |
| 4th 0:05 | Taveion Hollingsworth made Free Throw. | 92 - 85 |
| 4th 0:05 | Western Kentucky Deadball Team Rebound. | 91 - 85 |
Statistics
 WKU |
 RICE |
|
|---|---|---|
| 34-78 | FG | 30-77 |
| 44 | Field Goal % | 39 |
| 10-26 | 3PT | 10-31 |
| 38 | Three Point % | 32 |
| 14-21 | FT | 15-19 |
| 67 | Free Throw % | 79 |
| 47 | Rebounds | 50 |
| 12 | Offensive Rebounds | 14 |
| 35 | Defensive Rebounds | 36 |
| 17 | Assists | 16 |
| 9 | Steals | 6 |
| 7 | Blocks | 5 |
| 16 | Turnovers | 17 |
| 0 | Team Turnovers | 0 |
| 16 | Total Turnovers | 17 |
| 0 | Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 0 | Total Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 0 | Flagrant Fouls | 0 |
| 24 | Points Off Turnovers | 17 |
| 0 | Fast Break Points | 4 |
| 38 | Points in Paint | 30 |
| 20 | Fouls | 17 |
| 10 | Largest Lead | 13 |
Game Information
Location: Houston, TX
Attendance: 1,757 | Capacity:
2025-26 Conference USA Standings
| TEAM | CONF | GB | OVER |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liberty | 17-3 | - | 26-8 |
| Sam Houston | 13-7 | 4 | 22-12 |
| Louisiana Tech | 11-9 | 6 | 20-14 |
| Western Kentucky | 11-9 | 6 | 18-14 |
| Middle Tennessee | 11-9 | 6 | 17-15 |
| Kennesaw State | 10-10 | 7 | 21-14 |
| Jacksonville State | 10-10 | 7 | 15-17 |
| New Mexico State | 8-12 | 9 | 16-16 |
| Missouri State | 8-12 | 9 | 16-18 |
| Florida International | 8-12 | 9 | 15-17 |
| UTEP | 7-13 | 8 | 11-20 |
| Delaware | 6-14 | 11 | 10-21 |
2025-26 American Conference Standings
| TEAM | CONF | GB | OVER |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Florida | 15-3 | - | 25-9 |
| Tulsa | 13-5 | 2 | 30-8 |
| Wichita State | 13-5 | 2 | 24-12 |
| UAB | 11-7 | 4 | 20-12 |
| North Texas | 9-9 | 6 | 19-14 |
| Florida Atlantic | 9-9 | 6 | 18-15 |
| Charlotte | 9-9 | 6 | 17-17 |
| Tulane | 8-10 | 7 | 18-15 |
| Temple | 8-10 | 7 | 16-16 |
| Memphis | 8-10 | 7 | 13-19 |
| Rice | 7-11 | 8 | 13-18 |
| East Carolina | 6-12 | 9 | 11-20 |
| UTSA | 1-17 | 14 | 5-25 |