Western Kentucky (9-6) took control on offense as they took down conference foe Florida International (10-5) 84-71 at E.A. Diddle Arena in Saturday's C-USA home opener.
The victory is the team's first in C-USA on the season as well as their first win of 2022.
Five Hilltoppers had double-figure scoring while the team shot 50% from the field and finished off the night with 18 assists.
Fifth year guard Josh Anderson logged another productive performance off the bench to record 16 points and three steals.
Camron Justice had 15 points, three rebounds, five assists, one steal and one block.
Redshirt senior guard Luke Frampton had another great offensive performance, finishing with 15 points, three rebounds, one assist and two steals.
WKU head coach Rick Stansbury was additionally pleased with redshirt senior forward Jaylen Butz who had four points, six rebounds and one block.
FIU was led by redshirt junior guard Tevin Brewer who finished with 20 points, four rebounds, nine assists and one block.
Sophomore center Seth Pinkney was also efficient as he finished with 10 points, five rebounds and two blocks.
Eric Lovett had eight points, five rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block for the Panthers.
Western Kentucky committed 10 turnovers, scored 24 points off turnovers, collected 34 rebounds and recorded 18 assists.
The Panthers outrebounded the Hilltoppers 35-34 while also having 16 turnovers, scored seven points off turnovers and had 17 assists.
Western Kentucky lost the opening tip but Frampton quickly heated up, making two from beyond the arc to kickstart the offensive production for the Hilltoppers.
The Panthers were on fire from beyond the arc but a good defensive effort and an overwhelming offensive push gave the Hilltoppers a 43-38 lead at the end of the first half.
At the half, WKU's offense was led by junior center Jamarion Sharp who had 10 points and four rebounds.
Anderson was also beginning to heat up in the first half with eight points and three steals.
Justice and Frampton had a combined 12 points with six points each.
FIU's offense was led by redshirt junior guard Tevin Brewer who had 11 points, one rebound and four assists.
Senior G/F Eric Lovett had five points, three rebounds and one steal at the end of the first half, joining senior guard Isaiah Banks and freshman guard Denver Jones who also had five points.
The Hilltoppers outrebounded the Panthers 19-15 in the first half. WKU turned the ball over six times, scored 10 points off turnovers and had nine assists.
The Panthers grabbed 15 rebounds, committed seven turnovers, scored two points off turnovers and grabbed eight assists.
The Hilltoppers maintained control in the second half as they rallied behind Anderson, who led the offense with eight points in the final 20 minutes of play.
The Panthers attempted to make it close but poor shooting from beyond the arc (9-of-29) hurt the Panthers' offensively as WKU went on to defeat FIU 84-71 at home.
The Hilltoppers are back in action on Thursday as they take on Rice at Diddle Arena at 8 p.m. CT. for the continuation of the team's three-game homestand.
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