Western Kentucky secures 85-54 win in Conference USA Tournament over Middle Tennessee

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (AP) — Don McHenry had 18 points in Western Kentucky’s 85-54 victory against Middle Tennessee on Friday night in the semifinals of the Conference USA Tournament.

Third-seeded Western Kentucky will face No. 5 seed UTEP in the championship game on Saturday.

McHenry went 8 of 17 from the field (2 for 6 from 3-point range) for the Hilltoppers (21-11). Khristian Lander went 5 of 8 from the field (3 for 6 from 3-point range) to add 15 points. Brandon Newman shot 4 of 6 from the field, including 3 for 3 from 3-point range, and went 4 for 4 from the line to finish with 15 points.

The Blue Raiders (14-19) were led by Jestin Porter, who posted 14 points. Tre Green added nine points for Middle Tennessee. Jacob Johnson also had eight points.

Western Kentucky took the lead with 16:02 left in the first half and did not give it up. The score was 46-27 at halftime, with McHenry racking up 12 points. Newman scored a team-high 12 points in the second half.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.