MIAMI – A 22-4 FIU run midway through the second half troubled the Hilltoppers, leading to a 78-69 loss in the Ocean Bank Convocation Center on Thursday night.
The Hilltoppers initially jumped out to a 13-6 lead within five minutes of the start of the game. WKU used an 8-0 run between 10:26 and 8:00 to take a 26-16 lead over the Panthers.
FIU (10-11, 4-7 C-USA) immediately responded with a 10-0 run of its own to tie the ball game up at 26-all. The Panthers would tie it up two more times in the half, but a mid-range jumper from Dayvion McKnight with five seconds left in the half would put WKU up 36-34 headed into the break.
After halftime, the Panthers took off. Between 15:21 and 8:14, the Hilltoppers were held to just four points as FIU went on a 22-4 run to take a 61-46 lead. The Panthers pushed their lead as high as 17 on two occasions in the second half.
WKU (11-10, 3-7 C-USA) closed the game on an 11-2 run, but the deficit proved too much. McKnight once again had the last shot of the half, sinking a 3-pointer and making it a single-digit shortfall at FIU.
The Panthers scored 27 points off of 17 Hilltopper miscues, including 17 points in the second half alone. WKU outrebounded its opponent for just the fourth time in league action with a mark of 36-25.
McKnight led all scorers with 23 points, pairing it with four boards, three steals and an assist. He netted two of his three shots beyond the arc.
Jamarion Sharp logged 15 points with six boards on 6 of 7 shooting. Jordan Rawls had a season-high seven assists against just three turnovers. He also had seven points and three steals.
Denver Jones, the conference's second-leading scorer, had 17 points with three assists, three boards and two steals.
WKU now heads to No. 21 Florida Atlantic to complete the Florida road swing. The 3 p.m. CT game will be on Stadium and WKU PBS in Bowling Green.
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