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BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Western Kentucky went on an 11-2 run late in the second half and Jamal Crook scored 16 of his game-high 24 points after halftime as the Hilltoppers defeated the University of South Alabama men’s basketball team 75-66 Saturday night at E.A. Diddle Arena.

WKU wins for the third time in the last four games to improve to 8-15 overall and 4-6 in the Sun Belt Conference. USA drops to 12-10 and 4-7.

The Hilltoppers shot a season-best 54.7 percent from the floor, including 56.0 percent in the second half. Crook made nine of his 10 field-goal attempts.

“We didn’t run our offense,” said USA head coach Ronnie Arrow. “There were three straight times where we made no more than two passes, took it to the hole, and the big guy was in there, shot-blocking. But the key for them tonight was, they had guys making shots that hadn’t made them all year long. They made them tonight.”

Sophomore Augustine Rubit (Houston, Texas) paced the Jaguars with team-high totals of 20 points and eight rebounds. Senior Antione Lundy (Saginaw, Mich.) added 15 points and junior Freddie Goldstein (Milwaukee, Wis.) had 11.

The two teams were knotted at 35-35 going into intermission, but it was all WKU in the second half. The Hilltoppers scored on their first possession and never trailed in the final 20 minutes.

An 8-0 Western Kentucky run over a three-minute span early in the second half—capped off by a T.J. Price 3-pointer—gave it a nine-point bulge, its largest at that point in the contest. After a timeout, four straight points by the Jags stopped the bleeding and a layup from Lundy pulled them to within four (56-52) at the 8:26 mark.

WKU’s Derrick Gordon responded with a bucket on the other end to ignite the 11-2 rally to put the game away. The Toppers made four of their next five shots, including a 3-pointer by Teeng Akol—just his third of the year—and Kahlil McDonald finished it off with two shots at the free throw line.

Crook later added his triple for a 14-point bulge and South Alabama only got within single digits in the final moments.

“I thought we moved the ball better, but when we were getting one or two passes and taking it to the hole, that’s when they got up on us and I don’t think we ever caught back up after that,” Arrow said.

Crook was one of four in double-digit scoring for Western Kentucky. Akol tallied 13 with four blocks, George Fant came off the bench to record 12 and Price added 11.

South Alabama hosts Arkansas State Thursday night at 7 p.m.

NOTES: South Alabama lost the rebounding battle (33-30) for the first time since Nov. 20 (a span of 18 games) and for just the third time all season… The team is 0-3 in those games… USA missed a chance to win three straight games for the first time since December… All eight of Rubit’s rebounds came on the offensive glass and are the most by a USA player this season… He grabbed his 500th career rebound and is 15 boards away from USA’s career top 10 list… Junior Javier Carter (Dallas, Texas) played tonight—18 minutes—after missing the last two games with a foot injury… His personal blocks streak ended at 16 and the team failed to reject a shot for the first time in 18 games… WKU is just the third opponent all season to shoot 50 percent or better in both halves and its 54.7 shooting percentage is the highest by an opposing team in 2011-12… USA had more assists than turnovers in a game for the first time since Dec. 11 vs. Alcorn State.

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

—USA—