Western Kentucky (19-13, 11-8 C-USA) ended their season on Thursday night, falling short 59-57 to Louisiana Tech (23-9, 13-6 C-USA) in the C-USA Tournament quarterfinals in Frisco, Texas.
The Hilltoppers will go home emptyhanded while the Bulldogs advance to the C-USA semifinals to take on North Texas, the No. 1 seed in the West Division on Friday.
Dayvion McKnight led the way for the Hilltoppers with 20 points, seven rebounds and two steals.
Fifth-year guard Josh Anderson was stellar, recording 16 points, five rebounds, and four steals in his final collegiate contest.
Camron Justice chipped in with 15 points, three rebounds, and two steals in his final collegiate game.
Sophomore guard Keaston Willis led Louisiana Tech's offense, finishing with 17 points and three rebounds.
Kenneth Lofton Jr. was a major weapon for the Bulldogs with 15 points, 12 rebounds and five assists.
Freshman forward David Green was also key to LA Tech's victory, recording 10 points, two rebounds, and two steals.
Western Kentucky also recorded 31 rebounds, recorded 11 turnovers, scored 23 points off turnovers and tallied two assists.
Louisiana Tech won the rebounding battle 38-31 while also committing 20 turnovers, scoring 12 points off turnovers and tallying nine assists.
Halftime Synopsis
Justice was leading Western Kentucky's offense at the end of the first half, dropping 13 points, one rebound and two steals.
Josh Anderson had nine points, one rebound, one block and two steals.
McKnight had seven points, three rebounds and one steal.
Willis was leading Louisiana Tech's offense at the half, dropping nine points and two rebounds.
Lofton, freshman forward Kenny Hunter and Green additionally contributed 18 points combined, scoring six each. Lofton additionally recorded six rebounds and three assists. Hunter grabbed one rebound and one block. Green had one rebound, one assist, one block and one steal.
The Hilltoppers also recorded 14 rebounds, five turnovers and 14 points off turnovers.
The Bulldogs were winning the rebounding battle 21-14 while also recording 12 turnovers, eight points off turnovers and seven assists.
Takeaways
Turnovers and free throw shooting cost WKU the game: Although Louisiana Tech was the victor, they committed 20 turnovers and blew a 14-point lead. The Hilltoppers, who bounced back to lead the Bulldogs entering the final minute, could have easily changed the outcome of the game if not for a crucial turnover and poor shooting from the line. A last minute offensive push by LA Tech freshman forward Kenneth Lofton Jr. was only made possible due to mistakes in crucial moments.
Only two threes in the first half: WKU was cold from beyond the arc in the first half, shooting 2-of-12 from three. The Bulldogs shot 50% from three, sinking 7-of-14 in the first 20 minutes.
McKnight leads the way: Despite a quiet first half with only seven points, three rebounds and one steal, Dayvion McKnight heated up in the second half, sinking another 13 points while adding four rebounds and another steal. The stellar point guard concluded his season with 20 points, seven rebounds and two steals.
Justice and Anderson's last stand: Graduate guard Camron Justice and fifth year guard Josh Anderson closed out their collegiate careers with notable performances, grabbing 31 points combined. Justice finished with 15 points, three rebounds, one assist and two steals while Anderson finished with 16 points, five rebounds, one block and four steals.
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