Poor free throw shooting (8-of-18, 44.4 percent), turnovers (15, leading to 25 49ers points) and an off night from guard Que Johnson (four points, 2-of-11 shooting) all contributed to an 83-77 WKU loss at Halton Arena.
WKU (13-15 overall, 7-8 Conference USA) did some things well Thursday, especially in the second half. The Toppers overcame a 49-35 deficit with just over 17 minutes to play by launching a 19-3 run.
WKU shot 19-of-33 (57.6 percent) over the final 20 minutes and held the 49ers (12-14, 6-9) to a 12-of-29 (41.4 percent) effort. Guards Pancake Thomas (23 points) and Junior Lomomba (13 points, six rebounds, six assists) and forward Justin Johnson (18 points, nine rebounds, six assists) all had big nights.