Champions! Toppers defeat North Texas to win Sun Belt title, earn NCAA berth

Teeng Akol put the finishing touches on WKU’s remarkable run.

Akol scored 23 points and WKU rallied for a 74-70 win over North Texas on Tuesday night in the championship game of the Sun Belt Conference tournament.

The win caps a stunning run for the Hilltoppers (15-18), who earned their first NCAA tournament berth since 2009 by winning four games in as many days. (Topper fans can welcome the team back to Bowling Green at 4 p.m. Wednesday at WKU’s South Campus.)

George Fant finished with 17 points to help the Hilltoppers rally from a 13-point deficit in the second half.

Tony Mitchell scored 18 points to lead the Mean Green (18-14), who were playing in their third straight league championship game.

Tyler Hall hit a jumper to put North Texas ahead 55-42 midway through the second half before Fant scored the next seven points to cut the deficit to six. The Hilltoppers tied it at 59 on a basket by Akol, but they fell behind by five after Mitchell put the Mean Green up 66-61.

WKU finally regained the lead for good at 70-68 after a 3-pointer by Kahlil McDonald, who finished with 14 points.

The Hilltoppers led 72-68 in the closing seconds when North Texas’ Brandan Walton was fouled on a 3-point attempt. Walton made the first two before intentionally missing the third, but McDonald grabbed the rebound and sank two free throws with 1.5 seconds remaining to secure the win.

WKU began the season 5-11.  Ray Harper was named the Hilltoppers’ interim coach and they responded with a 3-6 start under their former assistant before closing the regular season with three wins in four games.

Not even Harper could see a run coming like what WKU did in the Sun Belt tournament. The No. 7 seed won four games in four days, giving them six wins in a row and setting the stage for their unexpected return to the NCAAs.

They did so by defeating No. 10 seed Florida International, second-seeded Arkansas-Little Rock and No. 3 Denver, along with the fifth-seeded Mean Green.

Welcome back Toppers: Fans are invited to The Knicely Conference Center/WKU South Campus at 4 p.m. Wednesday to welcome back the 2012 Sun Belt Conference Tournament champion WKU Hilltoppers. Join the WKU band, cheerleaders and Big Red when the Toppers make their return to Bowling Green after winning four games in four days to capture the tournament title and advance to the NCAA Tournament for the 22nd time in school history.

More: Look for more on the game, including photos and NCAA ticket information on WKUSports.com