W. Kentucky 73, New Orleans 55

1/23/2008 10:32 PM

NEW ORLEANS (AP) -Courtney Lee scored 19 points, including three 3-pointers, as Western Kentucky rolled past the University of New Orleans for a 73-55 Sun Belt Conference win on Wednesday.

The Hilltoppers (15-5, 7-1) shot 56.4 percent from the field and held the Privateers (14-6, 4-4) to a 34.7 shooting percentage. New Orleans was 0-for-10 from 3-point range compared to 7-of-16 for their opponents.

Jeremy Evans connected on 8-of-9 shots for 17 points for the Hilltopers and led all players with seven rebounds.

Bo McCalebb scored 21 points to lead New Orleans, while Kyndall Dykes added 17.

The Hilltoppers came out hot, storming to a 22-8 advantage over the first 10-plus minutes of the game. The Privateers rallied with a 13-4 run to make it a five-point game with 3:11 left to play in the opening half.

Western Kentucky led at the break, 32-26.

After the break, New Orleans cut the lead to three, 41-38, with 12:13 to play but Western Kentucky connected on four straight shots and hit some key free throws over the next 3:05 to take a commanding 52-38 advantage.

The Hilltoppers led by as many as 20 in the final two minutes, and McCalebb accounted for the final score of the ballgame with a lay-up as the buzzer sounded.