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Thursday, January 31, 2002
Late comeback lifts Western
Kentucky over FIU, 66-64
 ike
Wells' 3-pointer with 3:55 remaining in the game gave Western
Kentucky its first lead of the second half and the Hilltoppers
hit eight of 12 free throw down the stretch in a 66-64 come-from-behind
Sun Belt Conference win Thursday in Bowling Green, Ky.
In a game that pitted the leagues two top defensive sides,
WKU (19-3, 9-1 SBC) picked up its eighth-consecutive win, and
19 straight at home, while the Golden Panthers (10-13, 4-5 SBC)
saw their modest two-game win streak came to an end.
David Boyden and Nate Williams paced the Hilltoppers
with 14 points apiece. Williams, a 55.3 percent free throw shooter
recorded his season high scoring output thanks to 12 of 12 from
the charity stripe-the third best effort ever for a WKU player.
He also tied his season-high with seven rebounds.
After leading by as many as 10 points in the first half, FIU
took a 35-27 lead into the intermission. But WKU, which leads
the conference averaging better than nine 3-pointers per game,
used that weapon to cut into the Golden Panthers lead.
Long-range baskets by Derek Robinson and Boyden and
a pair of Williams' free throws brought Western Kentucky to within
two, 37-35, about two minutes into the second half. But FIU refused
to concede the lead and, thanks to five-straight points by Fab Fisher,
FIU was back up by nine, 50-41, with 12:33 to play.
Western, however, went on a 10-3 run over the next seven minutes,
with seven of those points by Todor Pandov, and with 5:58
to play was down 53-51. The teams traded turnovers until Wells'
trey gave the Hilltoppers a 54-53 advantage and a lead they would
never again relinquish.
WKU led by eight, its largest lead of the game, 63-55, with
1:18 to play. Carlos
Morban then scored FIU's next seven points to keep the
score close, but the Golden Panthers only close the gap to four.
Chris
Carter's layin with six seconds remaining made it a two-point
game.
The Golden Panthers, who shot .571 (28-49) from the field
as a team, were led by Rodrigo
Viegas' 16 points. Morban had 15 points and Taurance
Johnson, 11, but all of those coming in the first half.
In the end, FIU scored 28 field goals compared to just 19
for Western Kentucky, but the Hilltoppers converted eight 3-pointers,
compared to just two for FIU, and WKU was 20 of 26 from the free
throw line while FIU scored on six of eight free throws.
"Our kids stuck to the game plan for 40 minutes and we
fell just a little bit short," said FIU head coach Donnie Marsh.
"We still have a ways to go with this team, but I'm proud
of the effort they showed tonight."
FIU travels to Middle Tennessee for a Saturday night Sun Belt
Conference game beginning at 8:00 pm (ET). |