Western Kentucky (16-11, 8-6 C-USA) defeated Charlotte (13-12, 6-7 C-USA) 77-67 in the second and final regular season meeting between the two at Diddle Arena on Thursday.
Sophomore guard Dayvion McKnight and graduate guard Camron Justice combined for 42 points as the Hilltoppers recorded their sixth straight win on Thursday night, beating the 49ers for the second time this season.
Sophomore guard Dayvion McKnight led Western Kentucky's offense, finishing with 22 points, three rebounds, five assists and two steals.
Graduate guard Camron Justice was also a major factor for the Hilltoppers' offense, recording 20 points, four rebounds, seven assists and two steals.
Senior forward Jairus Hamilton added some major offense as well, recording 15 points and seven rebounds.
Senior guard Austin Butler led Charlotte's offense with 21 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Jahmir Young contributed 18 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists and two steals.
Redshirt freshman forward/center Aly Khalifa recorded 12 points and four rebounds.
Western Kentucky additionally had 29 rebounds, eight turnovers, 13 points off turnovers and 13 assists.
Charlotte won the rebounding battle 35-29 and also recorded eight turnovers, 13 points off turnovers and 18 assists.
Halftime Synopsis
At the half, McKnight was leading Western Kentucky's offense with 16 points while Justice had 11 points and four assists.
Hamilton finished the first half with ten points and five rebounds.
Charlotte's offense was led by Butler, who had 13 points, two rebounds, one assist and one steal.
Khalifa finished the first half with nine points.
By halftime, one of Charlotte's best performers Jahmir Young, had been held to only four points, five rebounds and three assists.
The Hilltoppers also recorded 13 rebounds, two turnovers, eight points off turnovers and six assists.
The 49ers won the rebounding battle 18-13 in the first half while also recording five turnovers, four points off turnovers and 10 assists.
Takeaways
Six straight wins: Although Charlotte was a lot more efficient than the last matchup at Halton Arena, but Western Kentucky's hot shooting (55% from the field) was too much for the 49ers to handle on Thursday night. Now, the Hilltoppers are in the midst of a six-game winning streak and are setting in third place in the C-USA East.
McKnight left it all on the court: Dayvion McKnight, who has led Western Kentucky's offense continuously in their past few games, once again recorded another stellar performance. McKnight kickstarted the Hilltoppers' offense early on in the first half, scoring the team's first six points. He proved to be equally unstoppable in the second half as well, finishing 8-of-11 from the field, 2-of-2 from three and 4-of-4 from the free throw line over the course of 38 minutes.
Justice dropping dimes: Camron Justice was perhaps the best player on the court on Thursday, showcasing his sharpshooting by going 5-of-8 from beyond the arc, including a big three-pointer with 2:05 remaining to stretch WKU's lead to 75-65 and essentially put the game away.
What's Next?
Western Kentucky is set to face off against Old Dominion on Saturday as the Monarchs visit Diddle Arena in hopes to avenge an earlier loss to the Hilltoppers. The opening tip is set for 6 p.m. CT and the game will stream over ESPN+.
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