Box Score
UALR takes 55-53 win over Western Kentucky
Feb. 17, 2005
Box score
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. -- Four Trojans scored in double
figures, Darius Eason threw down a dunk with 4.8 seconds left in the game
and UALR took a 55-53 win over Western Kentucky Thursday night at E.A.
Diddle Arena.
Richard Hardman led the Trojans (16-8, 8-4 Sun Belt)
with 12 points, Zack Wright scored 11 and Eason and Brandon Freeman
contributed 10 points each. Eason also notched eight rebounds and one
blocked shot.
The win was the Trojans' first at Western Kentucky
since Jan. 15, 1998, when UALR took a 77-76 overtime win. The 1997-98
season also marked the last time UALR swept Western Kentucky. Earlier this
season, the Trojans took a 69-66 win over WKU at Alltel Arena.
Western Kentucky (18-6, 8-4) went up by seven,
49-42, with 8:02 left in the game on a three-pointer by Ty Rogers. Wright
made the front end of a one-and-one to cut the Hilltopper lead to six,
49-43, with 6:49 remaining. Wright then made two more free shots at the
5:43 mark to pull the Trojans to within four, 49-45.
A jumper from Columbus Willis with 4:58 left cut the
lead to two, and Freeman tied the game at 49-49 with two free throws at
3:39.
Wright's jumper with 2:51 left gave UALR a 51-49
lead, but Western Kentucky's Anthony Winchester answered with a jumper of
his own 29 seconds later to tie the game once again.
With 55 seconds remaining, Hardman missed a jumper.
Wright grabbed the rebound and missed the put-back, but Eason was able to
fight his way to the basket and tip the miss back in to put UALR up 53-51
with 53 seconds to play.
WKU's Antonio Haynes, who led the Hilltoppers with
13 points, worked his way inside for a layup with 35 seconds left to tie
the score for the sixth time, 53-53.
UALR brought the ball up court and stalled until
Wright broke free into the lane. He took a step back, pivoted and saw
Eason on the baseline and breaking toward the basket. Wright drilled a
pass to Eason for a strong dunk with 4.8 seconds left.
WKU coach Darrin Horn called a 30-second timeout
with 4.6 seconds left to set up an inbounds play. UALR, mindful of the
35-foot shot Winchester hit for a Western Kentucky win at North Texas last
week, set up its defense at midcourt. The Hilltoppers got the ball into
the front court and called another timeout, this one coming with 1.7
seconds left. WKU then indbounded the ball in front of its bench to
Courtney Lee, whose jumper glanced off the back left corner of the basket
as time expired.
UALR made 13 of its 15 free throw attempts while
Western Kentucky went 3-of-5 from the line. The Trojans were a perfect
6-of-6 from the stripe in the first half while WKU did not attempt a free
throw in the first period. The Trojans outrebounded WKU 36-31 as well.
UALR will leave Bowling Green, Ky., Friday morning
to fly to Bowling Green, Ohio, where the Trojans will play at Bowling
Green State in an ESPN Bracket Buster game at 12 p.m. Central on Saturday.
The game will be broadcast on ESPN-Full Court and can be seen on Comcast
18 in Little Rock.
