Despite Western Kentucky (8-6, 0-1 C-USA) recording a solid shooting performance in the first half and building a 17-point lead in the second half, Louisiana Tech (11-3, 2-0 C-USA) heated up late in the second half to hand the Hilltoppers a 74-73 loss in Ruston, LA.
With the heartbreaking defeat, the Hilltoppers fall to 20-19 all-time against Louisiana Tech.
Camron Justice was explosive on offense as he led WKU's offense with 22 points, five rebounds, and two steals.
Sophomore guard Dayvion McKnight had the final shot of the game but couldn't get it to fall. He tallied 20 points, six rebounds and four assists.
Fifth-year guard Josh Anderson recorded 15 points, two rebounds, and three assists.
Forward Kenneth Lofton Jr. was the most significant performer on La Tech's roster as he finished with 22 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and one block.
Sophomore guard Cobe Williams was another significant performer with 18 points, five rebounds and two assists.
Amorie Archibald had 17 points, eight rebounds, and four assists.
Western Kentucky ran into turnover problems in the second half, committing 16 turnovers as opposed to Louisiana Tech's 11. WKU won the rebounding battle in the first half, but the Bulldogs outrebounded the Hilltoppers 39-35 by the end of regulation. The Hilltoppers only scored seven points off turnovers while the Bulldogs scored 20 points.
Western Kentucky and Louisiana Tech were both struggling on offense in the opening five minutes of play, but the Hilltoppers pulled ahead coming out of the first media break with a 9-0 scoring run.
By 11:55, the Hilltoppers were three of their last three from the field while the Bulldogs had been held scoreless from the field for the last 7:32 of play.
With less than 10 minutes left in the first half, Western Kentucky was red-hot from the field, hitting on seven consecutive shots while the Bulldogs had made only two of their last 15 shots.
At halftime, the Hilltoppers held a 31-21 over the Bulldogs.
Western Kentucky's offensive production in the first half was led by Justice who had nine points, three rebounds, one assist and one steal.
Anderson finished the first half with eight points, one rebound and one assist.
McKnight had four points, five rebounds and one assist.
Lofton Jr. led LA Tech in the first half with eight points and four rebounds.
Amorie Archibald and Cobe Williams both had five points. Archibald additionally had four rebounds and one assist while Williams had three rebounds.
The Hilltoppers committed 11 fouls in the first half. WKU outrebounded LA Tech 22-19 in the first half and committed seven turnovers.
The Bulldogs couldn't find their rhythm offensively in the first half but took advantage of WKU fouls, going 8-of-11 from the free-throw line . LA Tech committed five turnovers, scored eight points off turnovers and grabbed 19 rebounds.
Western Kentucky built a 47-30 lead with with 15:52 remaining after a Luke Frampton free-throw. It was the Hilltoppers' largest lead of the game.
From that point on, Louisiana Tech kept slowly chipping away into he deficit.
With less than two minutes remaining, the Bulldogs were in the midst of an 8-0 run to cut WKU's lead to 68-64.
With :16 seconds remaining, La Tech's Cobe Williams sank a three-pointer to tie the game up at 72.
Camron Justice went 1-of-2 from the free-throw line to give the Hilltoppers a 73-72 lead with :14 seconds remaining.
However, after a Jamarion Sharp foul, La Tech's Kenny Lofton, Jr. sank two clutch free throws with five-seconds remaining to give the Bulldogs a 74-73 advantage.
McKnight would race down the court and attempt a game-winning three-pointer, but it fell short as La Tech completed their second-half surge to stun the Hilltoppers.
Western Kentucky returns to E.A. Diddle Arena to start a three-game homestand, starting with the FIU Panthers on Jan. 8. The game will commence at 2 p.m. CT and will air on ESPN+.
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