Western Kentucky locks out San Diego

TAMPA, Fla. -- Western Kentucky didn’t need a buzzer-beater this time.

Behind Courtney Lee’s strong first-half performance and some clutch shooting down the stretch, the 12th-seeded Hilltoppers advanced to the round of 16 for the first time in 15 years with a 72-63 victory over 13th-seeded San Diego on Sunday.

Next comes UCLA.

Western Kentucky (29-6) will face the top-seeded Bruins in the West Regional semifinals in Phoenix. The Hilltoppers hope their three senior guards -- Lee, Tyrone Brazelton and Ty Rogers -- will carry them.

Lee finished with 29 points Sunday, including a three-point shot that gave his team the lead for good with 6 minutes 17 seconds left.

Six consecutive free throws in the final 34 seconds finished off San Diego.

Brazelton scored 15 points for the Hilltoppers. Rogers, who made the 26-footer at the buzzer in overtime to beat Drake in the first round, had only five points and three rebounds and two assists.

Gyno Pomare had 20 points and nine rebounds for the Toreros (22-14), who overcame a 15-point deficit in the second half. Devin Ginty’s three-point shot capped an 18-2 run that made it close with about six minutes left.

That may have been the scare the Hilltoppers needed. Against Drake they had blown a 16-point lead against Drake before prevailing in the extra frame on Rogers’ timely shot.

This time, Lee was the go-to guy. His three-point shot came a few seconds after Ginty gave San Diego a 55-54 lead, the Toreros’ first since going up 5-4 early.

“They got us out of our comfort zone and kind of sped us up a little bit,” Pomare said. “Just sped it up too much.”