HOUSTON — Western Kentucky led each of its last three conference games with five minutes to play.
It's been outscored a combined 40-12 in the final minutes of regulation in those three contests, going 1-2 with one win salvaged in overtime.
It's an eye-popping statistic that drives home the Hilltoppers' woeful attempts to close out league wins so far.
"We're just not very tough," WKU coach Ray Harper said in his postgame radio interview Thursday. "You've got to be able to finish."
Thursday's 83-73 loss at Rice was the latest in a string of uninspired endings for the Tops (9-8 overall, 1-3 Conference USA), who continue their four-game road swing at North Texas at 7 p.