FRISCO, Texas — WKU Hilltopper Basketball made a furious rally in the final four minutes of Saturday's Conference USA Championship final, but ultimately came up just short in a 67-66 loss to Marshall.
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The third-seeded Hilltoppers (24-10) used an 11-0 run in the final 3:40 to trim their deficit to one, but couldn't convert multiple opportunities to take the lead at the Ford Center at The Star.
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WKU will await news of its postseason fate Sunday evening.
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Neither team shot better than 37 percent from the field, but it was Marshall's Jon Elmore whose shooting stroke made the difference.
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The guard netted 7 of 13 3-pointers, including 6 of 10 in the second half, to help the fourth-seeded Thundering Herd (24-10) secure the victory. Elmore finished with a game-high 27 points.
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Senior forward Justin Johnson paced four WKU players in double figures with 21 points and 12 rebounds, while redshirt junior guard Lamonte Bearden and freshman guard Josh Anderson each had 13 points. Anderson also had seven rebounds.
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Graduate senior guard Darius Thompson chipped in 11 points, and graduate senior forward Dwight Coleby pulled down 10 rebounds to go along with his four points.
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WKU scored just one field goal in the final 8:22 of the first half, but still led 31-29 with 3:42 to play. Marshall scored the final five points of the half for a 34-31 lead.
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Elmore finally gave the Herd separation in the second half by scoring 11 straight points for his team, including three 3s, to build a 53-41 advantage.
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WKU still trailed 67-55 with 3:40 left when the Hilltoppers scored the final 11 points of the game.
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Johnson hit a 3-pointer to make it 67-66 with 1:04 remaining, and WKU got the ball back with 39 seconds to go. The Hilltoppers got multiple looks at the basket in those final seconds but couldn't capitalize.
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WKU's 24 wins to this point in the season are the program's most since 2008-09.
Johnson and Thompson were named to the all-tournament team.
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