Western Kentucky and Louisiana Tech’s Conference USA opener was exactly the type of game coach Rick Stansbury expects the league’s top teams to play when they face each other.
Thursday night, it was Stansbury’s Hilltoppers who came out on top. Guard Lamonte Bearden hit two free throws with 11 seconds left, and the WKU defense made a late stand to clinch a 69-68 victory at E.A. Diddle Arena.
The redshirt junior guard Bearden sprinted back down the floor and went right to the basket, where he was fouled by the Bulldogs’ Joniah White. He missed both free throws, keeping the score 68-67.