Western Kentucky senior forward Justin Johnson has been invited to participate in the 2018 Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, a showcase for the nation’s top college seniors.

Johnson is the first Hilltopper to receive an invitation to Portsmouth since guard T.J. Price in 2015. Other recent Hilltoppers to compete include A.J. Slaughter and Anthony Winchester.

The 12-game tournament runs April 11-15 in Portsmouth, Va. The event, which was established in 1953, features 64 seniors from across the nation who will play in front of representatives from all 30 NBA teams and scouts from international leagues.

Portsmouth alumni include legends John Stockton, Dennis Rodman, Tim Hardaway and Scottie Pippen, along with many others who have gone on to NBA stardom including Jimmy Butler. Six players from the 2017 event were selected in that year’s NBA Draft.

Johnson – a 6-foot-7 native of Hazard – concluded the 2017-18 campaign averaging 15.7 points and 9.4 rebounds per game while shooting 51.5 percent from the field and a team-best 41.6 percent from 3-point range with 47 makes.

He finished his college career ranked 10th on WKU’s all-time scoring list with 1,715 career points and fifth on the all-time rebounding list with 1,057 career boards.

Hilltoppers come from behind to beat UTEP

Western Kentucky overcame a four-run deficit Sunday for an 8-6 softball win at home against Texas-El Paso. The four-run comeback was the Hilltoppers’ largest come-from-behind win this season.

Paige Carter’s three-run home run gave the Hilltoppers a 7-6 advantage in the bottom of the fifth. Kelsey Aikey secured her ninth victory of the season with 3 1/3 innings of two-hit, shutout ball in relief.

With the win, WKU secured the series over UTEP and improved to 23-14 overall and 7-5 in Conference USA action. The Miners fell to 14-26 and 4-11 in C-USA.

WKU will continue its homestand Wednesday as Eastern Kentucky will visit for a doubleheader that starts at 3 p.m.

No. 13 Southern Miss routs WKU

Western Kentucky’s baseball team lost 14-1 on Sunday at No. 13 Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, Miss.

WKU’s Jacob Rhinesmith went 2-for-3 and scored a run in his third multi-hit game of the series.

The Golden Eagles (22-9 overall, 8-3 Conference USA) scored two unearned runs in the first inning off starter Paul Kirkpatrick. Southern Miss added five more in the third inning to take a 7-0 lead.

WKU (15-16, 5-7) struck for its lone run of the day in the top of the fourth, when Ray Zuberer III singled in Rhinesmith with two outs. It was the 13th RBI of the season for the sophomore, while he extended his team-high hit streak to six games.

Southern Miss scored two in the fourth, two in the fifth and three in the sixth to extend the lead to 14-1. The game ended after 6 1/2 innings due to the league’s Sunday 10-run rule.

The Hilltoppers travel to Nashville for a contest at No. 15 Vanderbilt on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.

Lady Topper tennis defeated by FIU

Florida International defeated Western Kentucky 4-1 on Sunday in Nashville during the Lady Toppers’ final regular-season Conference USA match.

WKU freshman Moka Ito and sophomore Monica Malinen took their second doubles loss of the season and seniors Elpida Malamou and Violetta Shatalova were defeated on court two 6-1 and FIU nabbed the doubles point.

Sophomore tandem Natalia De Ugarte and Cindy Oest left their doubles match unfinished and trailing FIU at 5-4.

Singles action began and De Ugarte picked up the first WKU victory of the day, winning 6-3, 6-2. Malamou and Oest both lost in straight sets. Shatalova lost in a second-set tiebreaker.

WKU is 8-6 overall and 2-2 in C-USA action.

Dayton rallies past Bowling Green

The Dayton (Ohio) Dragons used an eighth-inning rally to slip past the Bowling Green Hot Rods 4-2 on Sunday in Dayton.

Bowling Green (3-1) led 2-0 heading into the eighth before the Dragons scored four times off reliever Nick Padilla, aided by a two-out error by Adrian Rondon that allowed the go-ahead run to score.

Brendan McKay and Devin Davis paced the offense with two hits and an RBI each. BG starter Alex Valverde tossed five scoreless frames, allowing four hits and striking out five.

The Hot Rods will head to South Bend, Ind., to open a four-game series with the Cubs at 6:05 p.m. CDT Monday.

McKay is slated to make his Bowling Green debut on the mound, while right-hander.