First-year Hilltopper guard Braxton Bayless hadn’t set off many fireworks in a WKU uniform until WKU’s 64-63 win over the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs on Saturday night.
With LA Tech leading 63-62, Bayless ran down the court and hit the game-winning layup with just 0.4 seconds left. He balled against the Bulldogs, scoring 27 and shooting 11-19, a career night for the senior
“He seemed to find his grove and find his confidence and good things happened more than not,” Head Coach Hank Plona said in his Saturday night post-game presser. “Obviously a great job on defense and the last play was a heck of a play.”
Bayless’s previous career high in points was 22 against the Iona Gaels while he played for the Niagra Purple Eagles. He started his collegiate career at Indian Hills Community College, playing the 2021-22 season under Plona, who was the Indian Hills head coach since 2015.
Bayless left Indian Hills for Niagra after one year. He was with the Purple Eagles for two years before transferring to WKU when Plona became the Hilltopper Head Coach.
As a Hilltopper, Bayless is averaging 7.8 points a game. He had one other standout performance this season against Kentucky Wesleyan, scoring 18 while shooting 7-10.
In most games where Bayless has succeeded this season, the Hilltoppers haven’t. Before the LA Tech game, the Hilltoppers went 1-3 in conference games where Bayless had double-digit points.
“I knew it was coming soon,” Bayless said on his career night in the post-game press conference. “We stay resilient and we go hard every day regardless of the outcome, so I knew it was coming.”
Sports Reporter Nathan Mueller can be reached at [email protected].
