Western Kentucky (13-11, 5-6 C-USA) operated nearly flawlessly as a unit, recording their third straight win in a 76-69 win over C-USA East leader Florida Atlantic (15-10, 8-4 C-USA) at E.A. Diddle Arena on Thursday night.
The Hilltoppers were efficient offensively, shooting 48.2% from the field with double-figure performances from four players to snap the Owls' four-game winning streak and avenge an earlier loss to the Owls back on January 20th in Boca Raton, FL.
Graduate guard Camron Justice led Western Kentucky's offense with 19 points, five rebounds and four assists.
Dayvion McKnight was explosive as always, recording 18 points, four assists and four steals.
Against Florida Atlantic on Jan. 20, junior center Jamarion Sharp had no points, five rebounds and three blocks. Sharp might of had his best game as a Hilltopper in Thursday's rematch, recording 15 points, nine rebounds, and seven blocks.
Senior forward Jairus Hamilton was additionally unstoppable on offense, scoring 12 points, nine rebounds and two assists.
Florida Atlantic's offense was carried by junior guard Michael Forrest, who recorded 20 points, three rebounds, five assists and one steal.
Freshman guard Alijah Martin recorded 12 points, two rebounds, one assist, four steals and two blocks.
Bryan Greenlee finished with 10 points, two rebounds and three assists.
Western Kentucky additionally won the rebounding battle 37-33 and recorded 11 turnovers, 11 points off turnovers and 13 assists.
The Owls also recorded 33 rebounds, 16 turnovers, seven points off turnovers and 13 assists.
Halftime Synopsis
At the end of the first 20 minutes, Western Kentucky's offense was led by senior forward Jairus Hamilton who had eight points and five rebounds.
Dayvion McKnight had seven points, one rebound, one assist and three steals.
Florida Atlantic's offense was led by junior guard Michael Forrest who had eight points, two rebounds, five assists and one steal.
Freshman guard Johnell Davis recorded seven points and three rebounds.
The Hilltoppers also recorded 17 rebounds, three turnovers, scored seven points off turnovers and had five assists.
The Owls were winning the rebounding battle 20-17 at the half while also recording 11 turnovers in the first half and no points scored off turnovers. FAU had additionally recorded seven assists.
Takeaways
That's Three Straight: Just two weeks ago, Western Kentucky was on a five-game losing streak in C-USA play with a 2-6 record. Now, the Hilltoppers have prevailed in three straight conference games, recording two dominant road wins and now, a win over the leader of C-USA's east division. Don't call it a comeback?
Iron Man McKnight: Dayvion McKnight was an iron man for WKU, playing all 40 minutes of the contest. McKnight scored 11 of his 18 points in the second half to go along with four assists and four steals.
Camron Justice was clutch in the second half: Graduate guard Camron Justice was on fire in the second half, scoring 17 of his 19 points in the final 20 minutes. He nailed three three-pointers and was successful on 8-of-9 from the free-throw line.
Sharp's Comeback Song: In the first meeting with FAU earlier this season, junior center Jamarion Sharp was not at his best, recording no points, five rebounds and three blocks while FAU's big man freshman center Vladislav Goldin recorded 12 points, six rebounds and two blocks. In Thursday's rematch, Sharp was a perfect 7-of-7 from the field, recording 15 points, nine rebounds, and seven blocks. Goldin, who regularly averages 7.2 points and 5.2 rebounds per game was held to only four points, four rebounds, one steal and one block.
What's Next?
Western Kentucky is set to visit the Lone Star State on Saturday to face off against the UTSA Roadrunners in San Antonio. The opening tip is scheduled for 3 p.m. CT and the game will be televised on CUSA.TV.
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