| Game 26 at Charlotte Thursday, February 16 | 6 p.m. CT | Bowling Green, Ky. Season presented by Med Center Health |
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| Records | WKU (14-11, 6-8 C-USA) • Charlotte (14-11, 5-9) | ||||
| Listen | Hilltopper Sports Network (WKLX 100.7 FM flagship); C-USA.tv Audio; Varsity Network Randy Lee (pxp) | Hal Schmitt (analysis) |
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| Watch | ESPN+ Bobby Rosinski (pxp) | Jobey Thomas (analysis) | Hannah Bradey (sideline) |
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| Live Stats | Charlotte MBB Stats | ||||
| Tickets | Charlotte Tickets | ||||
| Game Notes | WKU Game Notes | Charlotte Game Notes | ||||
| Most Recent Media | Coach MTSU Postgame | Player MTSU Postgame | ||||
| Social Media | @WKUBasketball  | @WKUBasketball  | Facebook  | YouTube  |
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BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — WKU Hilltopper Basketball is looking to extend its winning streak to four as it takes on the Charlotte 49ers in Halton Arena on Thursday evening. The game will tip at 6 p.m. CT and will be streamed on ESPN+.
In the first match-up between the teams, Jamarion Sharp was out with a hip injury while Luke Frampton tore his ACL within the first two minutes of the game and did not return. WKU most recently beat MTSU 93-89 a week ago while Charlotte lost at North Texas on Saturday.
WKU is 23-13 all-time over the 49ers. Head coach Rick Stansbury is 10-5 in his career against Charlotte.
WKU VS. CHARLOTTE SERIES BREAKDOWN
Overall History: WKU leads 24-13
Series Record at Charlotte: The series is tied 9-9
Last Meeting: Charlotte 75, WKU 71 | January 21, 2023 | Bowling Green, Ky.
WKU Hilltopper Basketball was without the nation's leading shot blocker Jamarion Sharp playing against Charlotte. Additionally, sixth year senior starting guard Luke Frampton suffered a knee injury less than three minutes into the game and was unable to return. Out two starters, the injuries proved too much to overcome as the Hilltoppers fell to Charlotte in a heartbreaking 75-71 loss in E.A. Diddle Arena.
Charlotte started strong from the field, particularly the 3-point line, as the 49ers made 9 of their first 15 shots. The hot start pushed the Charlotte lead to as high as seven points.
WKU responded with a 7-0 run, with five points from Jordan Rawls and a pair of free throws from Jairus Hamilton. The run tied the ball game up at 22-all with eight minutes to go in the first half.
The 49ers fought back, regaining the lead and pushing it to 11 before the break. Hamilton was able to make a 3-pointer with under 30 seconds remaining to make the halftime score 38-30 in favor of Charlotte.
While in the second half, WKU was able to close it to five multiple times in the first 10 minutes, the deficit felt like a mountain to climb against one of the league's best defensive teams.
In the waning minutes, Rawls scored 9 of WKU's last 11 points. The Hilltoppers got as close as two as Rawls converted a 3-point play and Dayvion drove to the basket with a layup, but never got over the hump.
WKU logged seven assists against just three turnovers, the fewest amount of turnovers for a Hilltopper team since Feb. 8, 2020, when they committed three against Southern Miss. This is just the second occurrence of three or fewer turnovers since at least the 1971-72 season when full turnover stats became available.
Rawls led the Tops in scoring with a career-best 25 points. He also logged two assists, a steal and drew six fouls, all while shooting 9 of 13 from the field. He netted two long balls and went 5 for 6 at the charity stripe.
Brice Williams and Aly Khalifa combined for 49 of Charlotte's 75 points. Williams scored 27 and Khalifa had 22, each adding seven boards.
TOP STORYLINES
- Junior Dayvion McKnight is the only player in the country to have two games this season of at least 32 points, three assists, four rebounds and two steals. His stat lines of that or better came against Wright State on Dec. 10 and Middle Tennessee on Feb. 9.
- Two weeks ago, Luke Frampton underwent surgery to repair his right ACL that he tore less than three minutes into the game against Charlotte on Jan. 21. This road trip is the first he has traveled with WKU for since his injury.
- As of Wednesday, Jamarion Sharp leads the country in total blocks (102) and blocks per game (4.3). His average of 4.3 blocks/game is more than what 85% of Division I teams are averaging. His 102 blocks are more than what 77% of Division I programs have logged as a team.
- After passing former Hilltopper Bobby Jones on WKU's career assists list, Dayvion McKnight officially has more career assists than any other 1,000-point scorer in WKU's history.
- On Jan. 26, Jamarion Sharp was named to the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year watch list for the second year in a row.
- In just 50 games as a Hilltopper, Jamarion Sharp broke the program record for blocks in a career, previously held by Jeremy Evans.
- In the last two seasons, Dayvion McKnight has started in all 57 of WKU's contests, scoring at least 10 points in 50 of those.
MED CENTER HEALTH
The 2022-23 WKU Basketball season is proudly presented by Med Center Health. Med Center Health has served Southcentral Kentucky for more than 90 years, and its system of care includes six acute care hospitals, a comprehensive network of physician practices and clinics, and hundreds of area physicians offering care in dozens of specialties. From emergency treatment to preventative care, Med Center Health is dedicated to improving the quality of life in the communities it serves. Learn more at medcenterhealth.org.
