Ever since he wowed the country with a 25-point performance against Gonzaga in the 2009 NCAA tournament, Orlando Mendez-Valdez might have Western fans wondering where former Topper guard went.
For at least a few days, the now-professional Mexican basketball player returned to Bowling Green for the first time as an alumnus — an experience he said [...]

Head Coach Ken McDonald said he constantly tells the Toppers that they shouldn’t settle for a good shot when they could instead take a great shot.
The 2009-2010 season was expected to be one great shot, but instead Western (21-13) fell to Troy 54-48 in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament’s semifinals.
The Toppers missed out on invitations [...]

With the NCAA tournament tipping off this weekend, Western fans now find themselves in an unfamiliar situation.
For the past two years, they watched the Toppers pull off victories in dramatic fashion, culminating in a run to the Sweet 16 in 2008 and the round of 32 in 2009.
But there won’t be any postseason magic this [...]

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. — The Toppers didn’t partake in any more late theatrics or postgame celebrations Monday night at Summit Arena, because they did something in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament they haven’t done in three seasons.
Lose.
Troy senior forward Richard Delk hit a 3-pointer with 13.2 seconds to play, giving the Trojans (20-11) a two-possession [...]