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THE FACTS: Jamison Battle scored 20 points, 18 in the first half, to lead the Gophers over Western Kentucky 73-69 in the Asheville Championship. Battle was dominant in the first half and in the second half the Gophers were led by Payton Willis and EJ Stephens who had 19 and 18 respectively.
THE BOX SCORE: HERE
KEY STAT: Once again the Gophers hitting their threes was huge. Tonight they made 12/31 for 38.7%. EJ Stephens was 4/7 from three and finished with 18 points.
THE TURNING POINT: This was a game where the Gophers led throughout. The Hilltoppers did cut the game from 14 down to 2 in the final minutes but they were unable to close the gap entirely. The tip was the turning point of this one.
HOT: Dayvion McKnight scored 34 of the Hilltopper’s 69 points. The sophomore from Kentucky also had 9 rebounds and 4 assists.
BAD MOVE: Rick Stansbury going to a 1-3-1 zone did not prove to stop the Gopher shooting attack.
UP NEXT: The Gophers play in the championship game of the Asheville Championship. They will face the winner of Princeton and South Carolina.