Yesterday evening, No.4 Western Kentucky faced No. 2 Utah in the semifinals of the National Invitational Tournament at Madison Square Garden in New York. The Hilltoppers, coached by Rick Stansbury, had a 24-10 record coming into the tournament.

Both teams played hard, and the score continuously went back and forth between the two opponents. However, the decisive play occurred within the last few seconds of the game. Utah scored during the crucial moments of the game, and Western couldn’t match the points. There were also a few questionable charges called by the refs. The final score was 69-64 in Utah’s favor.

Justin Johnson scored 24 points for the Tops, while Dwight Coleby had 13 rebounds, and Darius Thompson had 7 assists. Utah’s Justin Bibbins went 12 for 12 on his free throws for the Utes, contributing a total of 19 points to the team. Donnie Tillman led rebounds with 10, and Bibbins also had 4 assists.

Utah advances to the Championship Game of the NIT. They play No. 4 Penn State this Thursday, March 29, in New York.