WKU Men’s Basketball’s (17-16, C-USA 8-12) season ended in the quarterfinals of the C-USA Tournament. The Hilltoppers fell to the Florida Atlantic Owls (29-3, C-USA 18-2) 75-51 Thursday, March 9 at The Ford Center in Frisco, Texas.

“In the first half we had plenty of opportunities,” Head Coach Rick Stansbury said. “ We did not function very well from the get-go.”

Junior guard Dayvion Mcknight played well in the loss. McKnight led the team in scoring with 18 points and brought in four rebounds. He also had an impact on the defensive side of the ball with five steals. 

WKU’s poor shooting was a huge factor in the loss. WKU shot  2-13 from three and only 27% from the field. 

Defense was the name of the game early. Both squads only mustered 15 total points through the first 10 minutes as FAU led 10-5. However, the Owls widened their lead as the half progressed. 

FAU outscored the Hilltoppers 10-6 in the next five minutes making it 20-10. WKU fell down as much as 15 but the Hilltoppers scored seven of the last nine in the half to cut their deficit back to 10, 30-20. 

FAU came out of the locker room hot starting the second half. FAU scored the first eight points of the period to go up 18, 38-20. 

The Owls continued to dominate the half. WKU found themselves in an almost insurmountable 22 point hole at the ten minute mark, 52-30. 

WKU’s offense began to hit their shots, but the Owls never slowed down. FAU dominated the entire second half and won the game 75-51. 

This is the 16th and final loss in the disappointing 2022-23 season for the Hilltoppers. 

Sports reporter Jake McMahon can be reached at [email protected].