New York, NY (SportsNetwork.com) - George Fant registered a double-double with 17 points and 15 boards as the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers held off the Saint Joseph's Hawks for a 62-59 win as part of the NIT Season Tip-Off at Madison Square Garden.

Chris Harrison-Docks added 12 points for WKU (2-3), Trency Jackson chipped in 11 points.

DeAndre' Bembry paced the Hawks (3-3) with 23 points and a game-high four steals. Javon Baumann scored 11 points.

The Hilltoppers took a 31-24 lead into the intermission after they sank 48.3 percent of their shots from the floor in the first half. Saint Joseph's was limited to 37 percent efficiency from the field in the opening 20 minutes of play.

The Hawks battled back by hitting on 51.9 percent of their field goal tries after the break. WKU went 1-of-12 from 3-point range in the second period. T.J. Price sank a pair of free-throw tries with four seconds remaining to extend the Hilltoppers' lead to 62-59. Bembry had a last second 3-point field goal try rattle out at the buzzer.

WKU outscored the Hawks, 38-32, in the paint and finished with a 40-31 edge in total rebounds.