Western Kentucky used a strong second half – outscoring Charlotte by 12 – to record a hard-fought 67-63 win in its Conference USA opener on Friday afternoon at Halton Arena.

The Hilltoppers played a sluggish opening half – shooting 40% and committing 10 turnovers – and trailed 36-28 at halftime. They used an 11-0 run, powered by three consecutive 3-pointers, to take a 56-52 lead with 5:21 remaining and made clutch plays late to come out on top.

Taveion Hollingsworth led WKU (8-2 overall, 1-0 C-USA) – which won a sixth straight game – with 14 points, while Dayvion McKnight scored 12 and Charles Bassey had 10 points and 12 rebounds.

The Tops finished 25-of-50 (50%) from the field with 14 assists. They led for just 8:05.

WKU will face Charlotte again Saturday at 3 p.m.