RUSTON, La. — WKU Hilltopper Basketball couldn’t hold on to a 17-issue, second-50 % guide on the road Saturday, slipping 74-73 at Louisiana Tech in the team’s Meeting Usa opener.
 
WKU (8-6, -1 C-United states of america) led by 17 with 15:54 to go and by 12 with 4:08 remaining, but the Hilltoppers in no way scored another industry target.
 
Louisiana Tech (11-3, 2-) outscored WKU 18-5 the rest of the way, like two cost-free throws by Kenneth Lofton Jr. with 5 seconds remaining that gave the Bulldogs the direct for superior.
 
“Obtaining conquer in some cases is element of the match,” WKU head coach Rick Stansbury claimed. “I’ve experienced lots of losses, I can manage having beat. It can be individuals online games that you give away and wrap it up. We wrapped this a single up and place a bow on it. And it normally takes away what our kids did for 37 minutes.”
 
Immediately after Louisiana Tech opened the recreation with a 3, WKU went on a 9- run, which include the initially 7 details by graduate senior guard Camron Justice.
 
The Bulldogs missed 13 straight photographs in that stretch and went additional than eight minutes with no a discipline aim as the Hilltoppers developed a double-digit guide.
 
Louisiana Tech shot just 18% in the first half with five produced discipline plans, making it possible for WKU to go into the locker place with a 31-21 gain.
 
The Hilltopper direct swelled to 47-30 with 15:54 to engage in following a 4-issue play by redshirt senior guard Luke Frampton.
 
Louisiana Tech manufactured many runs at the guide and slice it to two possessions various periods, but WKU answered people comeback endeavours with timely 3s.
 
The guide was however 68-58 with 3:01 remaining, but the Bulldogs scored off a turnover and then…