Other articles by Mark Long:

Toreros, yes Toreros, stun Huskies in first round Indy stays unbeaten Tour goes with white blimp to reduce commercialization Gators sneak past staid Butler Gators score 71 in second half to win easily Jaguars hammer banged-up Giants Jaguars steal show Roush ready to rebound in CaliforniaEarnhardt avoids carnage, overcomes problems Unlikely racer beats the odds

Real Estate
Sea Property Management
Manager Restaurants and Clubs
Zinburger
All Positions Health Care
Carondelet Surgery Center
Billing Education
Indian Oasis Baboquivari Unified School District
Teachers / Principals Health Care
Mountain View Retirement Village
LPN Driver/Transportation
Pioneer Landscaping
Drivers/End-Dumps Education
Ombudsman Educational Servies
Directors and Teachers

TAMPA, Fla. — Western Kentucky blew another big lead, then responded with another clutch performance.

Behind Courtney Lee's dazzling array of shots early and his free throws late, the 12th-seeded Hilltoppers advanced to the NCAA Tournament's round of 16 for the first time in 15 years with a 72-63 victory over No. 13 San Diego on Sunday.

Now comes an even tougher test.

Western Kentucky (29-6) will face top-seeded UCLA in the West Region semifinals in Phoenix. The Hilltoppers can only hope their three senior guards — Lee, Tyrone Brazelton and Ty Rogers — will carry them through another round.

"I'm not totally surprised that we're here," Hilltoppers coach Darrin Horn said. "We thought this was a special team coming into it. … We've been telling these guys for two years, three years really, 'If we get there, we've got a real chance to make some noise.' "

And a chance to prove how important guard play is in the tournament.

Lee, the Sun Belt Conference player of the year, finished with 29 points and seven rebounds. He had a huge three-pointer that gave his team the lead for good with 6:17 remaining, then sank six straight free throws in the final 34 seconds to seal the victory.

Brazelton added 15 points for the Hilltoppers, who won for the 19th time in 20 games.

Rogers, who hit a 26-footer at the buzzer in overtime to beat Drake in the first round, had a much quieter afternoon offensively. He had five points, three rebounds and two assists. But he came up big on the defensive end, holding San Diego's Brandon Johnson to 4-of-15 shooting and 13 points.

"He's Mr. One Shining Moment right now," Horn said. "His defensive performance on Johnson was a huge key to the game. He had to work awful hard for what he did get, and Ty had him most of the time."

Gyno Pomare had 20 points and nine rebounds for the Toreros (22-14), who overcame a 15-point deficit in the second half before fading in the closing minutes.

Devin Ginty's three-pointer capped an 18-2 run that turned a lopsided game, 52-37, into a nail-biter with about six minutes to play.

That may have been the scare the Hilltoppers needed. After all, they lost a 16-point lead to Drake before prevailing on Rogers' buzzer-beater.

This time, Lee was the go-to guy.

"He hit a big shot, but he hit big shots all day," San Diego coach Bill Grier said. "I think he's a future NBA kid. He played a terrific game at the right time."

Lee's three-pointer came a few seconds after Ginty had given San Diego a 55-54 lead, the Toreros' first since going up 5-4 early.

Brazelton hit another three a few minutes later, then Western Kentucky pulled away from the free-throw line as San Diego kept missing shots.

"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."