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Western Kentucky: Utah game post mortem

New York City- A memorable season but one coming up just short. Western Kentucky was defeated 69-64 by Utah in the NIT semifinals at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday. The Hilltoppers close the season at 27-11. Utah improved to 23-11 and will face Penn State, a 75-60 winner over Mississippi State in the other semifinal, for the championship on Thursday. The numbers:


Possessions: Western Kentucky 67, Utah 65

Offensive efficiency: Utah 106, Western Kentucky 96


Four Factors:

eFG pct: Utah 53 Western Kentucky 40

FT rate: Utah 48 Western Kentucky 21

OREB pct: Utah 26 Western Kentucky 28

TO rate: Utah 20 Western Kentucky 9

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Key points of emphasis: Turnovers. Utah was looking at a 15-2 points off turnover deficit at the half. The game was tied at 32 and naturally Utah mentor Larry Krystkowiak realized this could not continue if he had hopes of playing on Thursday evening. The final two quarters the points off turnovers allowed by the Utes was significantly reduced to just two. That proved to be a big factor in the outcome.


Rebounding. The Hilltoppers rebounded well on the offensive end early. Once again Utah had to adjust and did. The OREB (offensive rebounding percentage) shows the two teams nearly even. When Utah made their comeback they often limited Western Kentucky to one shot.


Making plays. Early the Hilltoppers enjoyed a double digit lead. Gradually Utah got back in it. As the final two quarters wore down you sensed this game, ultimately with 13 ties and lead changes, would be settled the final minute. It was. One crucial possession saw Utah’s Tyler Rawson, 1 of 6 from three at that point, bury a nothing but net try from beyond the arc. As Western Kentucky coach Rick Stansbury said, "give them (Utah) credit. They made the plays down the stretch. We did not." A fine line between heading home Wednesday or playing Thursday.


Leading scorers:

Western Kentucky - Justin Johnson 24 points. Johnson went out with a solid performance adding 11 boards.

Utah- Justin Bibbins, 19 points, included 12 for 12 from the line and taking a crucial charge against Johnson with under a minute to go.
















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