Box Score
BOWLING GREEN - In Saturday's battle of Sun Belt basketball powers, North Texas came out on the wrong end of an 87-76 decision at the hands of Western Kentucky at E.A. Diddle Arena.
The Mean Green (16-8, 5-6 Sun Belt) and Hilltoppers (11-13, 6-6 Sun Belt) combined to win each of the last four conference titles, but the day belonged to a Western Kentucky team that had five players in double figures in front of a national TV audience on ESPN2.
Kedrick Hogans was unstoppable for the Mean Green with 17 points on 8-of-9 shooting. Tristan Thompson, Jacob Holmen and Dominique Johnson also reached double figures with 16, 14 and 11 points respectively.
NT, which out-shot and out-rebounded WKU, cut the Hilltopper lead to just a bucket on three occasions in the first, but a 12-0 WKU run to end the opening frame proved the dagger that did in the Mean Green. WKU led by as many as 24 in the second half.
The Hilltoppers made NT pay for its mistakes, turning 14 NT turnovers into 22 points off turnovers. WKU also led the Mean Green 14-6 in fast-break points.
Steffphone Pettigrew led five Mean Green players in double figures with 18.
North Texas had trouble getting started and WKU made them pay, opening up a 10-3 lead thanks to an "And-1" dunk and free throw from Juan Patillo.
Thompson didn't take long to show why he is the Sun Belt's leading scorer. The senior caught fire early, scoring eight points in the game's first eight minutes. He finished the half with a game-high 11 points.
The Hilltoppers answered with an 8-2 WKU run powered by Kahlil McDonald's reverse layup and transition 3-pointer on back-to-back trips down the floor. That triple opened up a 25-13 WKU lead thanks to a 7-0 Western Kentucky edge in fast-break points.
The athleticism of Holmen off the bench booted the Mean Green back into the game. The sophomore poured in five jumpers on his first seven shots to pull NT to within a bucket with 5:40 left in the half.
A Hogans put-back with 2:30 on the clock narrowed the lead to two once again, but WKU had the answer. The Hilltoppers outscored NT 12-0 over the half's final two minutes, including a 25-foot buzzer beater from Kerusch, to head into the break ahead, 50-36.
The Mean Green returns home on Thursday to face South Alabama. Tip off from the Super Pit is slated for 7 p.m.
