Western Kentucky faces Jacksonville State following Newell’s 28-point showing

By Canadian Press on December 29, 2025.

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (7-4) at Jacksonville State Gamecocks (5-6)

Jacksonville, Alabama; Monday, 7 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Western Kentucky takes on Jacksonville State after Grant Newell scored 28 points in Western Kentucky’s 82-81 loss to the Tulsa Golden Hurricane.

The Gamecocks are 4-3 on their home court. Jacksonville State is 3-2 in games decided by 10 or more points.

The Hilltoppers are 1-1 on the road. Western Kentucky is fourth in the CUSA scoring 84.5 points per game and is shooting 43.3%.

Jacksonville State is shooting 43.2% from the field this season, 1.7 percentage points higher than the 41.5% Western Kentucky allows to opponents. Western Kentucky averages 7.9 made 3-pointers per game this season, 1.4 more made shots on average than the 6.5 per game Jacksonville State allows.

The matchup Monday is the first meeting this season for the two teams in conference play.

TOP PERFORMERS: Anthony Bryant is shooting 38.8% from beyond the arc with 3.0 made 3-pointers per game for the Gamecocks, while averaging 12.5 points and 1.5 steals. Mostapha El Moutaouakkil is averaging 17.8 points and 7.3 rebounds over the past 10 games.

Ryan Myers averages 2.3 made 3-pointers per game for the Hilltoppers, scoring 9.9 points while shooting 45.5% from beyond the arc. Teagan Moore is shooting 50.0% and averaging 17.5 points over the past 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Gamecocks: 4-6, averaging 70.4 points, 36.1 rebounds, 12.8 assists, 5.9 steals and 2.8 blocks per game while shooting 42.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 63.3 points per game.

Hilltoppers: 6-4, averaging 84.7 points, 37.6 rebounds, 14.4 assists, 8.1 steals and 2.7 blocks per game while shooting 43.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 77.5 points.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

The Associated Press