(BOWLING GREEN, Ky.) — WKU men’s basketball opened the 2024-25 season with a 91-84 loss to Wichita State on Monday night in Diddle Arena.

Senior forward Babacar Faye led the Hilltoppers with a career-high 28 points, surpassing his best of 15. Senior guard Don McHenry added 21 points, and freshman guard Julius Thedford chipped in 11 in the loss.

WKU’s first points of the season came just 53 seconds into the game from Faye’s free throws. After a back-and-forth start, McHenry gave the Hilltoppers a brief 17-15 lead with a three-pointer and an additional free throw, but Wichita State responded with an 8-0 run to end the first half, taking a 42-35 lead into the break. The Shockers were hot from beyond the arc, shooting 8-for-16 in the first half, while WKU struggled, making just 3-of-14 from three-point range.

Faye opened the second half by scoring WKU’s first six points, but the Shockers soon regained control, hitting their 10th three-pointer of the game to go up 55-54. WKU endured a 2:36 scoreless stretch, allowing Wichita State to extend their lead to as much as nine. Despite late-game efforts, including a key rebound and free throw by graduate transfer Braxton Bayless and a field goal from Thedford to cut the deficit to six, the Hilltoppers could not complete the comeback.

Faye finished with 28 points on 9-for-16 shooting and added eight rebounds. McHenry recorded three of WKU’s six three-pointers, also contributing four assists. Bayless grabbed seven rebounds and matched McHenry’s four assists, while Thedford tallied two blocks and four rebounds in just 13 minutes.

WKU outrebounded Wichita State, 43-42, and grabbed 14 offensive rebounds, but struggled with free throws, hitting just 61.1% in the second half. Monday’s defeat marked the first time the Hilltoppers allowed more than 90 points since January of last season.

Head coach Hank Plona acknowledged the tough challenge against Wichita State but emphasized the need for improvement moving forward. “We are playing this year to be a championship team, and we’ve got work to do,” Plona said.

Next up, WKU heads to Grand Canyon for a game on Saturday, Nov. 9. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. CT, with the game available on ESPN+.