WKU men’s and women’s basketball host Special Olympics unified basketball game

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Wednesday evening inside Diddle Arena, WKU men’s and women’s basketball came together to host the annual Bowling Green Special Olympics unified basketball game.

The Lady Tops paired up with team black while the men’s team partnered with team white.

Team black took control early, jumping out to the lead first, but team white fought its way back to pull ahead before the end of the half.

Fast forward to less than a minute left in the game, the score was tied at 19 until team white sunk a jumper for the win.

It was a thrilling ending to the game, but the scoreboard only tells a small part of the story.

“Athletes here at WKU are the professional organization in town for (the Special Olympic athletes),” Bowling Green Parks and Recreation manager Cameron Levis said. “So any time they’re able to come to campus, be a part of the campus community and be a part of the atmosphere here in Diddle, it truly is just a special night. We love the opportunity for them, but honestly, we love the opportunity for the WKU athletes to just get a taste of genuine joy and love for sport.”

The Special Olympic athletes did just that for the Hilltoppers.

As the Tops prepare to begin their seasons this fall, the unified game was a refreshing reminder why these student-athletes keep coming back to the court.

“It helps you find the love for your sport,” WKU men’s basketball guard Teagan Moore said. “So many times you can wake up and think that it’s just a job that you have to go to and you have to do, but stuff like this makes you realize that you get to do this and it’s something that you enjoy doing. It’s just for the love of the game.”

That love of the game brought out a good amount of competitiveness too inside Diddle. Even Big Red couldn’t believe some of the calls when things were heating up.

One of the players making those calls was WKU women’s basketball forward Tatum Boettjer. Even though she was getting a playful amount heat from her team in those final seconds, it only added to the fun everyone had during the game.

“My team was really on me, but it was really fun to just be with the players and everything. They had a great time,” Boettjer said. “We’ve been so excited all week. We’ve been prepping for this. We have been so excited to just get them in the gym and keep playing basketball. Basketball’s a great sport just for everyone to get together, and I think this was a great opportunity in Diddle Arena.”