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March 17, 2015 Basketball Section

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MARCH 17, 2015 > WKUHERALD.COM > COLLEGE HEIGHTS HERALD BASKETBALL EXTRA LET THE MADNESS BEGIN MARCH 17, 2015 > WKUHERALD.COM > COLLEGE HEIGHTS HERALD NCAA WBB TOURNEY friDAY, MARCH 20, 4 p.m. vs #12 WKU TEXAS #5
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MARCH 17, 2015 > WKUHERALD.COM > COLLEGE HEIGHTS HERALDBASKETBALL EXTRA

LET THE MADNESSBEGIN

MARCH 17, 2015 > WKUHERALD.COM > COLLEGE HEIGHTS HERALD

NCAA WBB TOURNEYfriDAY, MARCH 20, 4 p.m.

vs#12 WKU

TEXAS#5

MARCH 17, 2015 • TOPPER EXTRA • WKUHERALD.COMPAGE 2

Hilltopper season ends with loss to UABBY BILLY [email protected]

The WKU men’s basketball team has been here before— down one point with the final possession of the game. The Hilltoppers saw this same situ-ation in last year's conference tournament.

This time, with 14 seconds left and down by one, WKU's season again hinged on the final play. Sophomore guard Chris Harri-son-Docks attempted a 3-pointer from the corner as time expired, but it wasn't meant to be. WKU was knocked out in the second round by the UAB Blazers 53-52 after a defensive slugfest that in-volved 13 lead changes.

"Thought our kids played with a lot of heart and should be proud," Head Coach Ray Harp-er said. "I'm proud of how they

played and how they competed. Two games, we give up 45 yester-

day and 53 today, so you do that you feel like you have a chance.

Unfortunately, today we didn't."WKU led by four with 1:15 left,

but slowly began to lose their grasp. Nick Norton pulled UAB within one with a 3-pointer with 52 seconds left. After a UAB timeout Robert Brown made the game-winning jumper with 19 seconds remaining, giving the Blazers their first lead since 6:18 left in the second half.

Senior George Fant dominat-ed for WKU with a game-high 18 points and eight rebounds while Price finished with six points and a career-high nine assists. Jackson finishes his col-lege basketball career with eight points after two made 3-point-ers.

"I told them in the locker room they have meant a lot to this pro-gram. They have meant a lot to me," Harper said of the senior trio. "...It's always sad when you

walk into that locker room thatlast day. It’s the last game foryour seniors, but at the sametime these guys left it all outthere tonight, which I knew theywould."

WKU ends its season with a 20-12 record, and the loss marks thefirst time in 10 years that WKUfailed to advance to the confer-ence tournament semi-finals.

"I'm a little emotional aboutour last game—this goingdown—going down with a loss,"Fant said. "I can flashback com-ing in as a freshman playing inthe tournament. Not really hap-py that we didn't make it againthis year, but I'm happy to playwith the guys I've played withover these last four years andCoach Harper and building therelationships I've had with theseguys."

Senior guard Trency Jackson (3) drives around Marshall's guard Tamron Manning (31) during the Topper's 59-45 win in the fi rst round of the Conference USA tournament, Wednesday, March 11 at Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama. MIKE CLARK/HERALD

BY JONAH PHILLIPS [email protected]

With the Lady Toppers giving up dou-ble-digit leads in all three of their tourna-ment games this past week in Birming-ham, Alabama, the team was left begging for a player to take the reins and lead them through stretches of uncertainty throughout the tournament.

Senior Alexis Govan’s efforts in this re-spect were recognized by many at the tournament, as the senior was named the tournament MVP.

“It’s whatever,” Govan said of being named the tournament MVP. “I asked my teammates to come out there with me but they didn’t, and I think that says it all.

I love my teammates, and they have put me in the position I am in.”

After missing last year’s Sun Belt Confer-ence Tournament with a leg injury, Govan was available and provided that spark of composure and maturity the team was lacking in portions of their journey to the regular and post-season C-USA titles.

Clark-Heard said she saw a bit of herself in Alexis and the rest of the team when facing this adversity.

“When you are a family, you figure it out. Everybody steps up at different times and that is what this program has been about since I have been here. I really be-lieve that is why we have been in the posi-tions we have been in,” Clark-Heard said.

“Through adversity, we found a way.

This tournament I saw who I am; I am very passionate. You all see how I coach— I push them all the time. Through these three games, I have seen myself through them, and they say your players are a re-flection of you as a coach. That is what happened this weekend along with this season.”

Being the No. 1 seed in the tournament, WKU was able to enjoy a first round bye, but in their quarterfinal matchup with Charlotte, the Lady Toppers led by as much as 16 with roughly nine minutes to play, be-fore allowing the 49ers to come back and tie the game at 65 with 2:20 to play.

Govan led the Lady Toppers through this near collapse and ended with a game-high 21 points (11 in the second half).

The following day, the Lady Toppers found themselves leading by even more, at 22 over Old Dominion, yet still man-aged to squander the advantage as the Lady Monarchs dominated the second half and tied the game at 48 with again roughly nine minutes left to play.

The teams traded blows, and ODU waseven able to build to a five-point lead latein the game, though the Lady Monarchs’final lead was at 53-51 with 5:14 to playbefore the Lady Toppers took final control.

Govan hit two free throws with 6.8 sec-onds left to secure the victory, giving theLady Tops a two-point advantage thatthey wouldn’t let go of. Govan finishedwith a team-high 17 points.

In the championship match, WKU builtup to a 14-point lead in the first half andentered the break with a 35-24 advantageover Southern Miss before having thatlead completely erased. Govan, again,netting game-winning free throws, gavethe Lady Tops the edge in the final sec-onds of the game.

“You know the saying ‘big-time playersmake big-time plays,’ and that’s what shedid,” WKU Athletic Director Todd Stewartsaid. “She has ice water in her veins, andshe wants the ball when the game is onthe line, and she hit the free throws whenit all mattered the most.”

MARCH 17, 2015 • TOPPER EXTRA • WKUHERALD.COM PAGE 3

Alexis Govan leads WKU through C-USA tournament

Senior guard Alexis Govan (21) shoots a contested jumper during the team's Conference USA tournament semifi nal matchup against Old Dominion University, Friday, March 13 at Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama. Despite leading by 22 points early in the fi rst half, the game became closely contested in the fi nal seconds. WKU would go on to win 61-59 and advance to the championship game, Saturday, March 14 against Southern Miss. LUKE FRANKE/HERALD

MARCH 17, 2015 • TOPPER EXTRA • WKUHERALD.COMPAGE 4

LEADINGLADIESLADIES

The Lady Toppers' bench reacts to a foul call in the fi nal seconds of their 61-59 win over Old Dominion in the semifi nal round of the Conference USA Tournament, Friday, March 13 at Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama. The NCAA tournament seeding was announced Monday, March 16.MIKE CLARK/HERALD

MARCH 17, 2015 • TOPPER EXTRA • WKUHERALD.COM PAGE 5

WKU senior forward George Fant hugs his fi -ancé WKU senior forward Chastity Gooch after the Lady Topper's 60-57 win over Southern Miss in the championship game of the Conference USA tournament, Saturday, March 14 at Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama. Gooch helped the Top-pers with 18 points in the game and was named to the All-Tournament team. The Lady Toppers secured an automatic berth in the NCAA tournament with the win. MIKE CLARK/HERALD

WKU senior guard Chastity Gooch fi ghts for the opening tip dur-ing the Conference USA championship game against Southern Missis-sippi at Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama, Saturday, March 14LUKE FRANKE/HERALD

WKU Head Coach Michelle Clark-Heard speaks to the Lady Top-pers during their 61-59 win over Old Dominion in the semifi nal round of the Conference USA Tournament Friday, March 13 at Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama.MIKE CLARK/HERALD

PAGE 6 MARCH 17, 2015 • TOPPER EXTRA • WKUHERALD.COM

PAGE 7MARCH 17, 2015 • TOPPER EXTRA • WKUHERALD.COM

Price and Fant say goodbyeBY BILLY [email protected]

Thursday night marked the end of an era for the WKU basketball program. A 53-52

loss to UAB was the last game that seniors T.J. Price, George Fant and Trency Jackson will play as Hilltop-pers.

With every season, teams lose players due to graduation or other factors, but WKU will be losing two historic stars that have started since their freshman years. Price and Fant have been the faces of Hilltopper

basketball over the past four yearsand their departure is a loss that theteam and the Bowling Green com-munity will feel greatly.

"I told them in the locker room,they have meant a lot to this pro-gram. They have meant a lot to me,"Head Coach Ray Harper said of thesenior trio. "They are going to begreat. I know when they leave theuniversity they are all going to havea diploma in their hands in May.People who have had the opportu-nity to watch them, I know abouttheir character, they are tough kids.

Senior forward George Fant looks to pass around Marshall center JP Kambola during WKU's 59-45 win in the fi rst round of the Conference USA tournament, Wedneday, March 11 at Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama. MIKE CLARK/HERALD SEE PRICE & FANT PAGE 8

THE END OF AN ERA:

PAGE 8 MARCH 17, 2015 • TOPPER EXTRA • WKUHERALD.COM

It's always sad when you walk into that locker room that last day. It’s the last game for your seniors, but at the same time these guys left it all out there tonight, which I knew they would. Proud of what they have meant to WKU basketball."

Fant ends his career near the top of two coveted leaderboards. He finishes his WKU career with 1,621 points, good for 13th on WKU's all-time career scoring list and 894 rebounds which ranks eighth on WKU all-time career rebounds list. Fant neared the top of another WKU greats list, as he is placed fourth on the career games started at WKU with 122 starts.

The Warren Central High School grad started all four years before choosing to stay in his hometown of Bowling Green as a three-star prospect. Fant quickly made an impact for WKU, starting 24 games and was second on the team in points (10.4), rebounds (6.1) and steals (29).

Fant's stats climbed every year that he has been at WKU increasing his points per game from 12.8 PPG in his sopho-more campaign, 13.3 PPG in his junior year and 13.8 PPG in his final season, his

first in C-USA.Fant has embodied WKU basketball for

almost half a decade and in that time has become a celebrity in the city of Bowling Green. His love for basketball extends to the Lady Toppers as well— senior forward Chastity Gooch and Fant are engaged to be married this summer. The Hilltopper couple will both end their college basket-ball careers at the same time.

"I'm a little emotional about our last game—this going down—going down with a loss," Fant said. "I can flashback

coming in as a freshman playing in the tournament. Not really happy that we didn't make it again this year, but I'm happy to play with the guys I've played with over these last four years and coach Harper and building the relationships I've had with these guys."

The other half of the greatness that WKU was able to find was in a guard from Slidell, Louisiana. Almost committed to play defensive end in football, Price found a home at WKU the same time as Fant and became an important piece of the Hilltopper puzzle.

Price, like Fant, made an immediate impact his freshman season starting 20 games while averaging 27.9 minutes per game. The guard continued to develop his game and was looked upon by WKU as their primary scorer in the coming years.

Price went on to lead the Hilltoppers in scoring his next three seasons. Price averaged 15.2, 15.5 and a C-USA best 17.1 PPG in his college career. His mark this season is the most by a Hilltopper at the end of a season since Courtney Lee averaged 20.4 PPG in 2007-2008. He is also the first Hilltopper to lead their league in scoring since Jack Jennings in 1991-1992.

Price finishes his WKU career with 1,782 points and in sixth place on the all-time WKU career scoring list, a mark that will live on for many years to come.

"I hate that we went out this way," Price told WBKO after his final game. "We probably broke down a couple plays and that helped them to score. We broke down a couple of plays on offense, but it wasn't because of our effort. Everybody left it out there on the court and effort was fine."

"I think they both (Fant and Price) rank

up among the biggest contributors we've ever had from both an individual and team standpoint," WKU Athletic Direc-tor Todd Stewart said. "Individually, T.J. is the No. 6 scorer all-time. I mean, you look at all the people that have played basketball at Western Kentucky, ranked sixth is pretty special. George, 13th in scoring and eighth in rebounding, so I mean, again, they leave a tremendous legacy from an individual standpoint, but they were winners also. They went to two NCAA tournaments and won 20

games their last three years. They didn'tjust achieve individual success at theexpense of winning, and I think that's atrue credit to both of them."

The duo have been a part of two Sun BeltConference Championships, two NCAAtournament appearances and a revival ofWKU basketball in their time on the Hill.Fant and Price have anchored this teamfor almost half a decade. They will notsoon be forgotten. On the contrary, theywill be remembered in the hearts of WKUfans and high atop the record books.

PRICE & FANTContinued from PAGE 7

I told them in the locker room, they have meant a lot to this program. Th ey have meant a lot to me.”

Head Coach Ray HarperWKU senior guard T.J. Price converts a layup against Marshall in the fi rst half during the two teams’ fi rst round Conference USA tournament matchup in Legacy Arena in Birming-ham, Alabama on Wednesday, March 11. The Hilltoppers would defeat Marshall handily by a score of 59-45. LUKE FRANKE/HERALD


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