CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Round one goes to Western Kentucky.
The Hilltoppers claimed their sixth straight win by rallying from an 11-point first-half deficit to beat Charlotte 67-63 at Halton Arena in Friday's Conference USA opener.
"At halftime, we had to really buy into the game and lock in," WKU freshman guard Dayvion McKnight said. "We started off slow -- I don't know what that was -- but we had to pick it up the second half."
WKU's (8-2 overall, 1-0 C-USA) start looked eerily similar to last year's 72-70 loss to the 49ers (4-4, 0-1) at E.