FRISCO, Texas — Kalob Ledoux scored 20 points, making 6 of 7 3-pointers, and Louisiana Tech defeated Western Kentucky 72-65 on Thursday night to advance to the NIT semifinals.
Louisiana Tech (23-7) will play Mississippi State on Saturday in Texas. It will be the first time the semifinals won’t be played in New York City since the tournament started in 1938.
Kenneth Lofton’s steal and fast-break dunk gave Louisiana Tech a 68-60 lead with 51.9 seconds left.
Josh Anderson hit a 3-pointer to pull WKU to 70-65 with 25.4 seconds left, and Dayvion McKnight stole Louisiana Tech’s inbound pass. McKnight found Luke Frampton at the top of the arc but his 3-pointer hit the front of the rim.
Exavian Christon sealed it with two free throws.
Lofton had 11 points and seven rebounds, and Amorie Archibald added 11 points and six rebounds for Louisiana Tech.
Louisiana Tech’s final six shots of the first half were from 3-point range — making four during a 12-0 run for a 39-31 lead. Ledoux made all four of his 3-point attempts in the first half, scoring 14 points, and Louisiana Tech was 8 of 12. The Bulldogs finished 11 of 18.
Jordan Rawls tied a career high with 20 points and had eight assists for the Hilltoppers (21-8). Charles Bassey added 15 points, 16 rebounds and three blocks. Taveion Hollingsworth had 13 points.
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This was generated by Automated Insights, http://www.automatedinsights.com/ap, using data from STATS LLC, https://www.stats.com