5. Orlando Mendez-Valdez
25 points, 7 Assists, 3 Rebounds – (March 21, 2009) (WKU 81– Gonzaga 83)

Senior point guard Orlando Mendez-Valdez recorded perhaps the best game of his career in a 2009 second round NCAA Tournament matchup versus 10th-ranked and 4th-seeded Gonzaga.

The 2008-09 Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year scored 17 of his career-high tying 25 points in the opening nine minutes of the game as he helped pace the Toppers to a 37-35 lead at the end of the first half.

Mendez-Valdez hit 9-of-12 shots from the field in the game including a sizzling 7-of-10 from three-point range. Trailing by nine with just over two minutes to play, the Hilltoppers made a furious rally and a fall-away three-pointer by Mendez-Valdez closed the Toppers to within four at 81-77 with a minute remaining.

On the next possession OMV hit a streaking Steffphon Pettigrew who slammed home the basket to pull the Toppers to within two at 81-79. After a tip-in basket by Pettigrew on the next Hilltopper possession tied the game at 81 with 7.2 seconds remaining Gonzaga drove the length of the court and hit the gamewinner as the horn sounded to end WKU’s chance at its second straight Sweet 16 appearance.