BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — Trailing by five with 6:13 left in the game, the WKU Hilltoppers pulled together and played their finest stretch of basketball of the season and earned a 65-53 win over Sun Belt Conference West Division-leading UALR Saturday afternoon at E.A. Diddle Arena. The loss ends a five-game Hilltopper losing streak and improves the team's record to 6-14 on the season and 2-5 in conference play. UALR drops to 8-13 and 5-2 in the league with the defeat.

A crowd of 4,254 witnessed interim head coach Ray Harper's first win at WKU and an offensive explosion and a defensive shutdown in the final six minutes, as the Hilltoppers went on scoring runs of 13-0 and 8-2 to earn the victory. Derrick Gordon and Jamal Crook led WKU with 13 points apiece, with Crook's coming on 6-of-7 shooting in addition to five rebounds, four assists and two steals. George Fant had eight points, five rebounds two blocks and two steals in the second half alone, and Vinny Zollo added nine points on the strength of three three-pointers in a career-high 30 minutes of action.

UALR was paced by D'Andre Williams' 16 points and Courtney Jackson's 14, and Michael Javes had 14 rebounds for the Trojans, who won the Sun Belt Conference Tournament a season ago and were the conference's representative in the NCAA Tournament.

WKU shot 44.8 percent from the field in the second half and finished at a 41.1 clip for the game (23-for-56) and held UALR to 33.3 percent shooting in the second 20 minutes after giving up 13 baskets in 24 Trojan tries in the first half (.542). For the third time in the last five games the Hilltoppers turned the ball over just nine times and had 13 assists against UALR on Saturday, and WKU scored 23 points off 17 Trojans miscues. Only three WKU turnovers came in the second half and none during the crucial final six minutes.

UALR made just one of 12 shots in the last seven minutes of the game, and WKU made six of eight and eight of 10 free throws.

The Hilltoppers trailed by one point at halftime, 28-27, in a half that featured six lead changes and four in the final few minutes. UALR scored 16 of its first-half points in the paint, shooting 13-for-24 from the field overall, and outrebounded WKU, 17-11. It was WKU's 15th time trailing at the half this season and second victory in the end.

WKU took the lead after Gordon hit a jumper to start the second half, and each of the next three possessions for the two teams changed the lead again. UALR led by five after the first media timeout after a Javes jumper, but Crook scored four-straight points and Gordon hit two free throws to give WKU a one-point advantage at 39-38 a few minutes later.

Trailing by two once again after Trojan Will Neighbour nailed a three-pointer, WKU rattled off five-straight on a Fant layup and another Zollo three-pointer to lead 44-41. From there, however, UALR scored the next eight points enveloping a WKU timeout, and the Hilltoppers found themselves looking at a five-point deficit at 49-44 with 7:09 left in the game.

But the Hilltoppers refocused and stayed together and proceeded to score the next 13 point, beginning with a Kahlil McDonald three-pointer and a Crook layup following a Fant steal and dish to Gordon and culminating with Fant's 10-footer to whip the Hilltopper Nation into a frenzy and put WKU ahead, 57-49 and forcing the Trojans to use another timeout with 1:42 left in the game.

Jackson hit two free throws after being fouled eight seconds after the timeout to bring the Trojans within six points, but that would be as close as they would get as T.J. Price and fant each made four free throws down the stretch to ice the 12-point Hilltopper victory.

WKU has now won seven-straight games against UALR dating back to the 2006-07 season, and the Trojans have left Bowling Green winless in four trips since the 2005-06 campaign.

The win also snapped a four-game home losing streak for the Hilltoppers and was their first win in front of the loyal fans since December 4 against Bowling Green State. The 12-point WKU victory was the largest of the season and biggest since defeating ULM by 16 points in the opening round of last year's Sun Belt Conference Tournament in Hot Springs, Ark.

Crook's 85.7 percent shooting in the game was the best individual shooting performance this season by a Hilltopper.

WKU is back on the road next week for a pair of games against fellow Sun Belt Conference East Division foes beginning Thursday at Florida Atlantic. The 6:00 PM (CT) tip-off against the Owls will be televised nationally on Fox College Sports and DirecTV channel 617 and locally in Bowling Green on WKYU-PBS. The game will also be available on the radio on the Hilltopper IMG Sports Network with Randy Lee and Hal Schmitt on the call.