Monday, March 24, 2008
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Western Kentucky Making Noise in NCAAs

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[March 24, 2008]  TAMPA, Fla. (AP) -- Western Kentucky never panics, knows how to recover and understands how to close out games.

That, more than anything, is why the senior-laden Hilltoppers are in the NCAA tournament's round of 16 for the first time in 15 years.

"I'm not totally surprised that we're here," coach Darrin Horn said. "We thought this was a special team coming into it. ... We've been telling these guys for two years, three years really, 'If we get there, we've got a real chance to make some noise.'"

Two more wins, and the Hilltoppers will be screaming from the mountaintops in Phoenix.

Behind Courtney Lee's dazzling array of shots early and his free throws late, the 12th-seeded Hilltoppers advanced to the West Region semifinals with a 72-63 victory over No. 13 San Diego on Sunday.

Now comes the toughest test.

Western Kentucky (29-6) will face top-seeded UCLA in Phoenix. The Hilltoppers only can hope their three senior guards -- Lee, Tyrone Brazelton and Ty Rogers -- will carry them through another round.

"It's a great thrill to watch our guys enjoy it," said Horn, who was playing guard for the Hilltoppers the last time they advanced this far in the tournament. "As a player that's been through it, it's one of the most special times in your life."

Western Kentucky already had made it memorable.

The Hilltoppers blew a 16-point lead against Drake in the opening round Friday and needed Rogers' desperation 26-footer at the buzzer in overtime to pull off the first big upset of the tournament.

Although there wasn't nearly the same drama Sunday, Western Kentucky blew another double-digit lead before responding with another clutch performance and winning for the 19th time in 20 games.

"I can't say how wonderful this feels to do this with such a wonderful group of guys," Rogers said.

Lee, the Sun Belt Conference player of the year, finished with 29 points and seven rebounds. He had a huge 3-pointer that gave his team the lead for good with 6:17 remaining, then sank six straight free throws in the final 34 seconds to seal the victory.

Brazelton added 15 points and five assists, following his 33-point performance in the opener with another strong all-around game.

Rogers had a much quieter afternoon in the second round. He had five points, three rebounds and two assists. But he came up big on the defensive end, holding San Diego's Brandon Johnson to 4-of-15 shooting and 13 points.

"He's Mr. 'One Shining Moment' right now," Horn said. "His defensive performance on Johnson was a huge key to the game. He had to work awful hard for what he did get, and Ty had him most of the time."

Gyno Pomare had 20 points and nine rebounds for the Toreros (22-14), who overcame a 15-point deficit in the second half before fading in the closing minutes.

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Devin Ginty's 3-pointer capped an 18-2 run that turned a lopsided game, 52-37, into a nail-biter with about 6 minutes to play.

That may have been the scare the Hilltoppers needed.

Trailing 55-54 and in need of help, Lee hit his fourth 3-pointer of the game.

"He hit a big shot, but he hit big shots all day," San Diego coach Bill Grier said. "I think he's a future NBA kid. He played a terrific game at the right time."

Brazelton hit from behind the arc a few minutes later, then Western Kentucky pulled away from the free throw line as San Diego kept missing down the stretch.

"They got us out of our comfort zone and kind of sped us up a little bit," Pomare said. "Just sped it up too much."

Considering what Lee did in the first half, it was no surprise the 6-foot-5 Indiana native got the ball in the final minute.

The Hilltoppers shot 57 percent before the break, a sizzling start that helped them open a 10-point lead in the first 10-plus minutes. They stretched it to 37-23 with an 8-0 spurt just before halftime.

And Lee was San Diego's main matchup problem.

Western Kentucky's leading scorer was 8-of-11 shooting and had 19 points in the first 20 minutes. He hit two runners in the lane, a pull-up jumper and a bank shot. The Toreros switched defenders several times in an effort to slow him down, but nothing worked.

Pomare kept the Toreros close, despite the team's 17 turnovers and 4-of-15 shooting from 3-point range. After hitting 10 of 12 shots Friday, Pomare finished 7-of-10 from the field Sunday.

"We just didn't have enough left in the tank to finish it down the stretch," Grier said.

[Associated Press; By MARK LONG]

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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