NEW YORK – Utah and Western Kentucky’s game Tuesday night involved 13 ties, 13 lead changes, two late charge calls on the Hilltoppers and one huge 3-pointer from the Utes’ Tyler Rawson.
Rawson’s 3 with 38 seconds left proved the game-winner. No. 2 seed Utah outlasted No. 4 seed WKU 69-64 in an NIT semifinal at Madison Square Garden, outscoring the Toppers 6-0 over the game’s final minute.
The Utes (23-11) will play for a tournament title Thursday against Penn State. WKU (27-11) ends its season a few plays short of the NIT championship game.
WKU’s trip to New York for the NIT semifinals was the culmination of a dramatic season for a program that hadn’t played past its conference tournament since 2013.