BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — WKU Hilltopper Basketball kept its season alive with a dominant performance Tuesday night, routing ACC foe Boston College 79-62 in a first-round NIT home game at E.A. Diddle Arena.
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The Hilltoppers (25-10) shot 55.4 percent from the field and held Boston College to 38.5 percent, picking up their first NIT victory since a 2005 win over Kent State.
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That win over Kent State was also the last time WKU hosted an NIT game, picking up where they left off with a strong showing in front of 6,176 fans at Diddle Arena on Tuesday.
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The Hilltoppers will either travel to No. 1 seed USC or host No. 8 UNC Asheville in the second round at a date and time to be determined. Those teams play late Tuesday evening in California.
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Senior forward Justin Johnson led WKU with 19 points and 12 rebounds for his 39th career double-double, while freshman guard Taveion Hollingsworth finished with 18 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals.
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Late in the game, Hollingsworth passed Courtney Lee for the most points ever scored in a season by a Hilltopper freshman with 464 points.
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Senior guard Darius Thompson added 17 points, eight assists and six rebounds, and redshirt junior guard Lamonte Bearden chipped in 10 points.
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Boston College (19-16) led 26-21 early in the second quarter, but WKU went on a 7-0 run, pulling in front 28-26 at the 6:50 mark on a 3-pointer by Hollingsworth.
The Hilltoppers then finished the first half on an 11-2 spurt, including nine straight points. Johnson's layup just before the buzzer made it 41-33 WKU at the break.
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The Hilltoppers shot 61.5 percent in the first half and held Boston College to nine points in the second quarter.
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WKU brought Diddle Arena to life with three straight dunks early in the third quarter and eventually led by as much as 17 with 7:24 to play.
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The Hilltoppers outscored Boston College 40-26 in the paint and 15-2 on the fast break.
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Ky Bowman paced the Eagles with 18 points.
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