Scores

Final

W Kentucky 67

(14-18, 7-9 Sun Belt)

Denver 63

(22-9, 11-5 Sun Belt)

Coverage: ESPN3

9:30 PM ET, March 5, 2012

Summit Arena, Hot Springs, AR

1 2 T
WKU 34 3367
DEN 31 3263

Top Performers

Western Kentucky: G. Fant 19 Pts, 2 Reb, 1 Ast

Denver: B. Stafford 19 Pts, 4 Ast, 1 Stl

W. Kentucky 67, Denver 63

Associated Press

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. -- George Fant scored 19 points and Kahlil McDonald 14 to lead Western Kentucky to a 67-63 victory against Denver in a Sun Belt tournament semifinal on Monday night.

Derrick Gordon had seven points, six rebounds and a crucial block for the seventh-seeded Hilltoppers (14-18), who advanced to play No. 5 seed North Texas in the title game on Tuesday.

Western Kentucky led 65-63 when Brian Stafford missed a 3-point attempt for No. 3 seed Denver (22-9), and Royce O'Neale rebounded and tried a put-back attempt with three seconds remaining. Gordon swatted the shot, and McDonald got the rebound and made two game-sealing free throws.

The Hilltoppers shot 55.9 percent (19 of 34) from the floor and made 24 free throws (in 34 attempts) to the Pioneers' 12 (16 attempts).

Denver dropped to 0-8 when allowing at least 65 points.

Copyright by STATS LLC and The Associated Press

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WAC Tournament

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Team Stat Comparison

 
WKU
DEN
Points 67 63
FG Made-Attempted 19-34 (.559) 23-51 (.451)
3P Made-Attempted 5-8 (.625) 5-13 (.385)
FT Made-Attempted 24-34 (.706) 12-16 (.750)
Fouls (Tech/Flagrant) 16 (1/0) 22 (0/0)
Largest Lead 4 0

Game Leaders

 
WKU
DEN
PointsG. Fant 19B. Stafford 19
ReboundsD. Gordon 6R. O'Neale 9
AssistsD. Gordon 2R. Lewis 4
StealsD. Gordon 1T. Hallam 2
Team Stats: W. Kentucky | Denver

2011-12 Season

DATEGAMELINKS
Jan 15, 2012 @DEN 78, WKU 65Recap
» Mar 5, 2012 WKU 67, @DEN 63Recap

Next 5 Games

WKU
DEN
03/06 @UNT 7:00pm
03/13 @MVSU 6:40pm
03/15 @UK 6:50pm
11/10 @USM 8:30pm
11/13 PEAY 8:00pm
 11/09 @IONA 8:15pm
11/14 AMCC 9:00pm
11/16 CAL 8:00pm
11/21 CSU 9:00pm
11/27 @USM 8:00pm
Complete Schedule: W. Kentucky | Denver