Florida Atlantic (10-8, 3-2) led a late offensive push that proved to be too much for Western Kentucky (10-8, 2-3) to handle as the Owls prevailed 78-69 on Thursday night.
The Hilltoppers led 57-52 with led with less than 10 minutes left in regulation, but were unable to maintain their lead as they fall to 2-3 in C-USA play with the loss.
Sophomore guard Dayvion McKnight led the way for Western Kentucky's offense, recording 22 points, nine rebounds and four assists.
Graduate guard Camron Justice kept the Hilltoppers' offense rolling with 18 points, two rebounds and five assists.
Senior forward Jairus Hamilton recorded 11 points, one rebound, two assists and two steals.
Freshman center Vladimir Goldin led Florida Atlantic's offense with 14 points, four rebounds, two blocks, and two steals.
Freshman guard Alijah Martin had 13 points, six rebounds, and three steals for the Owls while guards Bryan Greenlee and Michael Forrest chipped in with 12 points a piece.
The Hilltoppers recorded 30 rebounds, 15 turnovers, 11 points off turnovers and 13 assists.
Florida Atlantic outrebounded Western Kentucky 32-30 while also recording 11 turnovers, 20 points scored off turnovers and 20 assists.
Halftime Synopsis:
At the end of the first half, Western Kentucky's offense led by Justice, who entered the locker room with 12 points.
McKnight was also important offensively in the first half, recording eight points, four rebounds and three assists.
The Owls' offense was led by Winchester who had nine points in the first half.
Freshman center Vladislav Goldin recorded six points, three rebounds and one steal in the first twenty minutes of play.
The Hilltoppers additionally recorded nine rebounds, three turnovers, 11 points off turnovers and eight assists.
The Owls had 16 rebounds, seven turnovers, two points off turnovers and six assists.
Takeaways:
Camron Justice is key: The graduate guard kickstarted WKU's offense in the first half, recording the Hilltopper's first seven points. He scored 13 of his 18 points in the first half and was a big reason WKU took a 36-33 lead into halftime.
Dayvion McKnight carried the offense in the second half: McKnight recorded 22 points, nine rebounds and five assists on the night and was a big reason the Hilltoppers had a chance in the second half, at times putting the offense on his shoulders. Besides McKnight, there wasn't enough effort on offense from the Hilltoppers to come out with a win.
Forgettable night for Jamarion Sharp: The 7-foot-5 big man simply got outplayed by Florida Atlantic big man Vladislav Goldin. Sharp grabbed five rebounds and blocked three shots, but was held scoreless. Meanwhile, Goldin scored 14 points on 7-of-8 shooting and simply outplayed Sharp in the battle of the big men on Thursday night.
The Owls outplayed WKU in the second half: A late second half 13-2 run from the Owls proved to be too much for the Hilltoppers. FAU was also red-hot from the three-point line in the second half and in total scored 16 second-chance points compared to only one point for WKU. A recipe for defeat.
WKU fell short in the final seconds: A miracle three-pointer from fifth-year guard Josh Anderson put WKU within one of the Owls but the Hilltoppers failed to make a basket and goaltending call on Jamarion Sharp helped ignite an 8-0 for FAU to close out the game. The Hilltoppers were 1-of-9 from the field to finish the game.
What's Next?
The Hilltoppers will remain in Florida as they are set to rematch Florida International in Miami on Saturday. The opening tipoff is set for 6 p.m. CT and the matchup will air over ESPN+.
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