Despite a late surge in the second half, Western Kentucky dropped their third-straight conference matchup on Saturday evening, falling short to Charlotte 75-71 in front of the home fans at E.A. Diddle Arena.
With the loss, the Hilltoppers are now 3-6 in Conference USA play while the 49ers snapped a two-game losing streak, and are now 4-5 in conference action.
InsideHilltopperSports.com breaks down Western Kentucky's efforts in the close contest, detailing what went wrong for the Hilltoppers.
IT WAS OVER WHEN: A late surge from Western Kentucky cut the deficit to two points at with less than a minute left to play, but Charlotte was solid from the free-throw line to seal the win. Another factor that contributed to the loss was a 9-0 run by Charlotte in the second half. During the final frame, Western Kentucky didn't make a field goal for nearly a five-minute stretch, a Jordan Rawls jumper with 2:23 remaining broke that streak.
HE STOLE THE SHOW: WKU senior guard Jordan Rawls displayed pinpoint accuracy all night long, coming off the bench to lead the Hilltoppers with 25 points. Rawls sank several key shots, going 9-of-13 shooting from the field and 2-of-3 from beyond the arc and 5-of-6 from the free throw line.
THE STAT DOESN'T LIE: Despite scoring 10 points off turnovers, Western Kentucky was unable to compete with Charlotte's stellar shooting. The 49ers shot 56% (29-52) from the field, 40% (8-20) from beyond the arc and 69% (9-13) from the free throw line. The Hilltoppers went almost five minutes without making a field goal in the second half, shooting 41% (24-58) from field goal range, 28% (7-25) from three-point range and 84% (16-19) from the free throw line. Charlotte also won the rebounding battle 33-27.
BOTTOM LINE: Western Kentucky needed the bench to step up as senior center Jamarion Sharp was unavailable, and sixth year guard Luke Frampton suffered a knee injury early in the contest. Despite an impressive comeback effort and valuable minutes from Rawls, the injuries proved to be too much for the Hilltoppers to overcome.
NOTES:
- Western Kentucky falls to 23-13 all-time against Charlotte, which includes a 15-3 mark in the confines of E.A. Diddle Arena.
- WKU associate head coach Phil Cunningham served as interim head coach once again in place of head coach Rick Stansbury.
UP NEXT: Western Kentucky is scheduled to face off against Florida International on Thursday, Jan. 26. The opening tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT and the game will air on ESPN+.
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