Box Score BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - An 11-point advantage late in the first half would
not hold up as Western Kentucky defeated the University of New Orleans
70-60 on Saturday night.
WKU (12-6, 6-1 SBC) won for the sixth straight time over the Privateers while remaining undefeated at E.A. Diddle Arena this season.
Sergio Kerusch had a double-double for the Hilltoppers, scoring 18 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.
Three other players reached double-figures for WKU as A.J. Slaughter scored a game-high 19 points while Steffphon Pettigrew contributed 15 and Orlando Mendez-Valdez chipped in 12.
The loss represented the fifth time this season that UNO (8-10, 3-4 Sun Belt) has lost in their attempt to reach .500 on the season while continuing a trend of alternating wins and losses for the ninth straight contest.
Kyndall Dykes topped the scoring for the Privateers, pouring in 21 points, including 17 in the second half.
T.J. Worley added another 13 for UNO.
A 42-41 lead with 13:01 remaining would be the last the Privateers would see for the remainder of the game, as the Hilltoppers scored nine straight points to take an eight-point lead at 50-42.
UNO brought the lead down to two at 56-54 after scoring six points in a row. WKU extended the lead to five over the next minute of play before a Dykes jumper made it a one possession game.
A Hilltopper basket followed by a Worley lay-up put the game within a shot's reach before a Slaughter three-pointer with 1:01 remaining ended the Privateers chance to emerge victorious.
UNO shot 50 percent from the field in the opening half, making 14 of their 28 attempts as they took a 30-26 advantage into the break.
The Privateer lead was as large as 11 points at 28-17 with 3:07 left following a 12-4 run. WKU cut into the advantage prior to the break, making three shots from beyond the arc over the final two minutes, part of a 9-2 run.
The first four points of the game were scored by the Hilltoppers, before UNO scored 16 of the next 21 points to take a 16-9 lead.
The Privateers will hit the road for just the third time in a month when they face Troy on Thursday night in a 7 p.m. SBC tilt.
