TAMPA, Fla. — Western Kentucky blew another big lead, then responded with another clutch performance.
Behind Courtney Lee’s dazzling array of shots early and his free throws late, the 12th-seeded Hilltoppers advanced to the round of 16 for the first time in 15 years 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 the West Region semifinals in Phoenix. The Hilltoppers can only hope their three senior guards — Lee, Tyrone Brazelton and Ty Rogers — will carry them through another round.
“I’m not totally surprised that we’re here,” Hilltoppers 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.”’
And a chance to prove how important guard play is in the tournament.
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 for the Hilltoppers, who won for the 19th time in 20 games.
Rogers, who hit a 26-footer at the buzzer in overtime to beat Drake in the first round, had a much quieter afternoon offensively. 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.
“One of our goals was to win the conference championship so we can position ourselves to come here and play games,” Lee said. “We didn’t want to stop with that. We wanted to come and make noise.
“We have a great team.”
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