WKU Hilltopper Basketball’s remarkable season came to an end Tuesday night with a 69-64 loss to Utah in the NIT semifinals at Madison Square Garden.
The Hilltoppers (27-11) led by as much as 13 in the first half, but Utah (23-11) made big plays down the stretch – none bigger than Tyler Rawson’s 3-pointer with 38 seconds left that put the Utes up for good.
WKU’s 27 wins this year were the program’s most since 2007-08, and their 38 games played tied the program record. The Hilltoppers tied a program record with three postseason victories and advanced to the NIT semifinals for the first time since 1954. They finished the season 4-2 against Power 5 conference schools.
Senior forward Justin Johnson led WKU with 24 points and 11 rebounds in his final college game for the 40th double-double his career.
Redshirt junior guard Lamonte Bearden finished with 12 points, while senior forward Dwight Coleby had 10 points and 13 rebounds.
Johnson started the game with an 8-0 run of his own, including two 3-pointers, and the Hilltoppers pushed their advantage to 18-5 on a basket by Bearden with 3:07 left in the first quarter.
Utah went on an 11-0 run in the second quarter to get in front for the first time, but Bearden later tied it at the break with a fast-break dunk at the buzzer to make it 32-32.
WKU still led 60-57 with 4:44 remaining, making this the first time in 37 instances under head coach Rick Stansbury that the Hilltoppers have lost a lead with under five minutes to play.
WKU last led 64-63 with 1:27 to go on a layup by Johnson, but Rawson swung the momentum with his go-ahead 3-pointer for Utah, which scored the final six points of the contest.
Justin Bibbins paced the Utes with 19 points, making 12 of 12 free throws.
Utah will play in the finals against Penn State, which crushed Mississippi State in the nightcap.