FRISCO, Texas — WKU Hilltopper Basketball used a lockdown defensive effort and a big night from both of its post players to defeat UTSA 80-67 in the Conference USA Tournament quarterfinals Thursday.

The Hilltoppers (19-6) held the high-scoring Roadrunners to 38% shooting, while junior center Charles Bassey (21 points, nine rebounds, five blocks) and redshirt senior forward Carson Williams (15 points, nine rebounds) dominated inside.

WKU advances to face UAB (No. 2 seed, West) at 11 a.m. CT Friday in the quarterfinals.

“I thought the first few minutes of the game, we settled for a few too many jump shots,” WKU head coach Rick Stansbury said. “I think after the first four, five minutes, especially around that eight-nine mark, we settled in and were pretty efficient. I thought we started getting in the paint a little bit better and drove it to the paint a little bit better. … Anytime you’re playing a team like that that can shoot the basketball, any team that can shoot it, you’ve got to come out of halftime with the lead and win that first four minutes. I thought that was one of the most important parts of the game when we came out for the second half and won that first four minutes.”

UTSA (15-11) shot 27% in the first half, while WKU used a 7-0 run to create a 21-13 lead with 7:55 left.

The Roadrunners later got back within five, but the Tops used an 8-0 run to make it 34-21 with 2:49 to go on a three-point play by senior guard Taveion Hollingsworth. WKU led 38-25 at the break.

“We just needed some juice,” Hollingsworth said. “We hadn’t played in here yet and some of the guys hadn’t even been in here yet, so we just had to get used to the rims and everyone playing in there and then we were good from then on.”

The Hilltoppers opened the second half with another 7-0 run to push the lead to 20, and they eventually led by as much as 23 with 15:16 remaining on a dunk by Bassey.

UTSA didn’t go away and used a 9-0 run to trim its deficit to 55-44 with 9:31 remaining. The lead eventually shrunk to 10, but Bassey answered with a three-point play to add some cushion.

WKU shot 46.3% for the game and made 24 of 25 free throws, a 96% mark that set a new Hilltopper record for best free-throw percentage in a game on at least 20 makes.

Hollingsworth added 12 points, while WKU got 17 points off the bench.

Keaton Wallace scored 30 points for UTSA, but the Hilltoppers held star guard Jhivvan Jackson to just five points on 2-for-12 shooting.

“Defensively, especially on Jackson and Wallace was a big emphasis coming into the game,” Williams said. “Constant effort and a team defensive approach, and our guys came out and gave a lot of effort and really locked up, especially there in the first half, so it was a good effort from that standpoint.”