With seven minutes to play and a
13-point lead, UALR cooled off as WKU heated up and eventually claimed the win.
Jackson’s buzzer-beater capped the Hilltoppers’ comeback that was aided by UALR
making just three field goals in the final eight minutes and missing five of
eight free throws in the final 44 seconds.
UALR (12-12, 7-5 Sun Belt
Conference) had five players score in double figures including Josh Hagins(20), James White (14), Leroy Isler (13), Ben Dillard (11) and Mareik Isom (11), but WKU (16-7, 8-3) made 12
3-point baskets to help narrow the gap.
After the Trojans’ huge 15-0 run
was erased by an 18-5 run by the Hilltoppers and the game was knotted at 73-73,
White slammed home his second dunk of the evening to give his team a two-point
lead with 103 seconds to play. Dillard then went 1 of 2 from the free-throw
line and Hagins followed suit, making it a 77-73 advantage for the home team
with only 11 seconds left on the clock. But in that span, Isom also
missed two free throws.
A 3-pointer from Brandon Harris
brought WKU back within one at 77-76 with five seconds to play, and Hagins got
fouled when the Trojans inbounded the ball next. He made just one free throw to
put the Trojans ahead 78-76, but Jackson nailed his 3-pointer from the left
wing as time expired.
Besides his 14 points, White led
UALR with nine rebounds and nearly earned a double-double. In addition to his
career-high 20 points, Hagins had a game-high seven assists and also added a
game-high three blocks. DeVonte Smith added five assists of his own. UALR
shot an impressive 7 of 10 from long range and was over 50 percent from the
field at 24 of 46, but the Hilltoppers made the same number of total baskets
and had five more 3-pointers.
The final score was much closer
than it appeared it was going to be midway through the half when the Trojans
went on their 15-0 run and brought the crowd to its feet.
In a game that was tight the
entire way to that point, the Trojans finally got some separation on that run
that only lasted four and a half minutes. Things began to go the Trojans’ way
just after coach Steve Shields earned a technical foul and UALR went
behind 55-53.
That technical seemed to fire up
the team, as four consecutive made free throws were followed by Isler rattling
home a 3-pointer from the left wing early in the run and causing the
Hilltoppers to take a timeout down 60-55. But after the timeout, Hagins completed
a steal with a full-court layup on a spin move. The Trojans got a steal from
Isom on WKU’s next shot, and White slammed home a monster dunk in transition.
After another WKU timeout, White stuffed a shot and earned Hagins a second
transition layup, putting the lead at 11 for UALR.
When the run finally ended with
about eight minutes to play after two Isler free throws, UALR had gone from a
two-point deficit to a 13-point lead at 68-55. All told, the run featured two
UALR blocks, a steal, four defensive rebounds and three WKU turnovers in just
over four minutes.
But that run was far from the end
of the game. The Hilltoppers scored 18 of the next 23 points, tying the contest
at 73-73 with 1:45 to play and setting up their come-from-behind victory.
Way back in the first half, the
Trojans had a small advantage in the early going. The team took a 10-5 lead
when Dillard drained a 3-pointer just six minutes into the game. But from
there, the Hilltoppers controlled much of the rest of the half. WKU scored seven
of the next eight points to go ahead 12-11, and they extended their lead for
the rest of the period.
Thanks to an impressive 7-of-15
performance from behind the arc and a 17-13 edge on the glass, the visitors led
by as many as 10 points with 3:31 to play.
UALR closed out the half strong,
though, narrowing the gap to just four points at the break. Isler hit two free
throws, Hagins had a 3-pointer and two free throws and Smith added two from the
line over the final three minutes to make it a 36-32 lead for WKU at halftime.
The Trojans return to action on
Thursday at Louisiana, playing the Ragin’ Cajuns at 7:05 p.m.
