Start spreading the news: WKU Hilltopper Basketball is headed to New York City.
The Hilltoppers (27-10) led nearly the whole way in a hostile road environment at Oklahoma State on Wednesday night, outlasting the Cowboys 92-84 in the NIT quarterfinals.
WKU advances to face Utah in the semifinals on Tuesday, March 27 at historic Madison Square Garden in New York. Utah defeated St. Mary’s in overtime in the second quarterfinal game of the evening.
The Hilltoppers led for over 36 of the 40 minutes and never trailed after an early 12-2 run made it 18-9 with 2:45 to play in the first quarter. They shot 52.5 percent from the field and outscored Oklahoma State 50-24 in the paint.
Freshman guard Taveion Hollingsworth tied his career high with 30 points, while redshirt junior guard Lamonte Bearden added 19 points and six assists.
Hollingsworth said after the game, “I didn’t think I would come out like this tonight. Once I started making shots, I realized that I could keep doing it, so I kept doing it.”
All five starters scored in double figures.
Senior forward Dwight Coleby had his first double-double since Jan. 27 with 16 points and 13 rebounds, and senior guard Darius Thompson scored 11 points. Senior forward Justin Johnson had 10 points and five rebounds.
Coleby, a graduate transfer from Kansas, talked about this season after the game: “It started in preseason, they had us picked in the middle part of our league, like sixth or something. From since then, we had a chip on our shoulder. We knew what we needed to do. When I came in, I saw what we had, we had something special and we had a lot of talent, talented players on the team. If we came together, we were going to be really good. Every time we play high-major teams, we’ve just got a chip on our shoulder.”
The Toppers have won three games in nine days against teams from the ACC, Pac-12 and Big 12. WKU defeated Purdue of the Big Ten in the second game of the season and SMU of the AAC in the third game. Pardue has been a top five team this season, is a number two seed in the NCAA, and still has its season going.
WKU led by two at the break and had an answer to every Oklahoma State (21-15) run in the second half.
The Hilltoppers stretched their lead to 57-48 with 4:52 left in the third quarter, but the Cowboys clawed back to tie the game at 60-60, but the Toppers never let them take a lead.
WKU kept them at bay with 12 made free throws in the final two minutes.
Oklahoma State had put together a tremendous season that included a pair of wins over Kansas, a number one seed in the NCAA Tournament, and Texas Tech, which plays Pardue in the Sweet Sixteen this weekend.
Kendall Smith led Oklahoma State with 19 points.
Coach Stansbury said “I congratulate Oklahoma State for one, what a terrific year they’ve had… If there was any team that deserved to be in (the NCAA) tournament, it was Oklahoma State. Mike (Boynton) has done an unbelievable job with this team, an unbelievable job. For somebody to win, and beat the people he beat this year, I know it’s a disappointment for you guys, but he did an unbelievable job with that team.
“That’s what makes it even more special for our group. To come in here, you guys have seen a lot of good teams come in here this year. Our guys kept finding ways to take a punch and respond. We never let it get to far away. For the most part, led. We kept the crowd out of it, the best we could. Again, it’s a really good team, a hostile environment. I can’t say enough of these guys; how proud I am for them.”
The Utah Utes also play in the Pac-12. They are led by head coach Larry Krystkowiak. The other two teams left in the NIT are Mississippi State of the SEC and Penn State of the Big Ten.