Jim Mashek

WKU’s LUTZ: “(BLUE RAIDERS) WERE TOUGHER, MORE ATHLETIC FROM START TO FINISH”

MURFREESBORO, Tennessee — They backed themselves into a corner.

And in the final frantic minutes, they gave themselves a chance to win in a most unlikely fashion.

The Western Kentucky University men’s basketball team saw its impressive five-game winning streak come to an end on Saturday night, against traditional rival Middle Tennessee State.

The Blue Raiders led for nearly the entire night, before Western Kentucky scrambled back into the game in the final minutes. But the Hilltoppers failed to score in the final two minutes, 18 seconds, and MTSU escaped with a 74-72 victory over WKU before a paid crowd of 5,038 at the Murphy Center.

Middle Tennessee State hit 10 of 28 shots from 3-point range, including a 6-for-13 showing (46 percent) in the second half, and the Hilltoppers’ late surge fell short. First-year WKU coach Steve Lutz was quick to give the Blue Raiders credit for the hard-fought victory.

“They were tougher, they were more athletic, from start to finish,” Lutz said when it was over.

Junior MTSU forward Jared Coleman-Jones led the Blue Raiders with 20 points, 11 rebounds and four steals, and he hit a critical open 3-pointer from the left wing with about five minutes left, leaving the Tops with a 69-62 deficit.

Still, the Hilltoppers had a chance to take the lead on multiple possessions in the game’s final minute. Junior WKU guard Don McHenry hit field goals on back-to-back possessions, first on a runner in the lane and then off an entry pass from Hilltoppers teammate Babacar Faye, to trim the MTSU lead to 72-70.

About one minute later, Faye canned two free throws to tie the game at 72. But the Blue Raiders scored the game’s final points, twice splitting on two free throws in the final two minutes.

Western Kentucky fell to 19-8 overall and 8-5 in Conference USA, while the Blue Raiders improved to 12-16 overall and 6-7, respectively.

“We didn’t play our best basketball,” senior WKU center Rodney Howard said. “We had multiple opportunities to finish it. It shouldn’t have come down the last one or two possessions.”

WKU will try to get back on the winning track against Conference USA co-leader Louisiana Tech (20-8, 10-3 in C-USA) on Wednesday night at E.A. Diddle Arena. It will be the Tops’ final home game of the regular season. The Hilltoppers trail both Louisiana Tech and Sam Houston State (17-11, 10-3) — which swept WKU in two games this season — by two games in the standings.

“We don’t need to worry about a conference championship,” Lutz said. “We need to worry about playing better.”

Senior WKU swingman Brandon Newman led the Tops with 14 points and four rebounds, while three other Hilltoppers — junior point guard Don McHenry, senior forward Dontaie Allen and the aforementioned Rodney Howard — all finished with 11 points.

McHenry, the Tops’ scoring leader, had just three points in the first half. In the second half, however, McHenry went 4-for-5 from the field while scoring nine points.

Sixth-year MTSU coach Nick McDevitt was pleased with his team’s performance in the second half.

“I thought (WKU was) the aggressor to finish the first half,” McDevitt told MTSU media relations. “We talked about that at halftime, how the margin is thin, and we just had to toughen up. We needed to be able to play physical at the basket, get physical, (get) tough rebounds.

“Western’s really good. Steve (Lutz) has done a really good job with that team … They put pressure on you at every spot.”

I’ll have a complete story moving on Sunday morning before returning to Bowling Green. Thanks for reading jimmashek.com … I’ll be covering the KHSAA 14th District Tournament, boys and girls, at South Warren High School starting Monday, as well as the WKU game against Louisiana Tech on Wednesday night.