GAME NOTES: The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers will try to match their best start in league play in 22 seasons as they invade FIU Arena for a Conference USA clash with the FIU Panthers.

The Hilltoppers notched their sixth win in a row and improved to 4-0 in the C- USA standings with an 88-85 overtime win at Florida Atlantic on Thursday. Coach Ray Harper's team trailed by 13 points with 11:54 left in regulation before storming back to capture the improbable victory. Western Kentucky, which is 11-5 overall, is one of just two teams in the league without a blemish on its conference record through four games. WKU is ranked second in the C-USA in scoring offense (74.4 ppg) and eighth in scoring defense (67.3 ppg). The Hilltoppers have committed only 18 turnovers in the last three games, including a mere four after intermission of those contests.

FIU ended a two-game slide and climbed a game over the .500 mark on Thursday with a 66-62 overtime win versus Marshall at home. The Panthers trailed by 18 points before battling back to knock off the Thundering Herd and record their 400th win at FIU Arena. Coach Anthony Evans' squad used a balanced effort to down Marshall, as four players scored in double figures for the first time this season. The Panthers are in the middle of the pack in the C-USA standings with a 2-2 ledger, and their other three league games were played on the road.

WKU and FIU were once rivals in the Sun Belt Conference before they both ventured to C-USA. The Hilltoppers hold a 30-6 lead in the all-time series. The Hilltoppers are 11-4 in games played in Miami, but the Panthers won the last meeting there on Feb. 16, 2013, 87-82.

WKU leads the C-USA and ranks 58th nationally with 14.9 apg. George Fant has been spearheading the charge during the current winning streak. The 6-foot-6 senior forward has posted 18.8 points and 11.2 rebounds per game during his current stretch of five straight double-doubles while shooting 57.6 percent from the floor. Fellow senior T.J. Price has also been on a roll, netting 18.7 ppg during the team's current winning streak and scoring at least 20 points in seven of his last eight games against Division I foes. In the overtime victory against FAU, Price finished with 27 points and eight boards, while Fant tallied 23 points and 10 rebounds. Starting point guard Chris Harrison-Docks was also stellar, recording 12 points, eight boards and zero turnovers in 40 minutes.

WKU will have to figure out a way to contain FIU's Dennis Mavin to keep its streak alive. Mavin carried the Panthers to the win over Marshall with 19 points on 6-of-13 shooting from the floor, but also committed seven of the team's 16 turnovers. Junior center Adrian Diaz chipped in 12 points, while Daviyon Draper and Dominique Williams supplied 10 points apiece. Due to FIU's slower pace of play, the Panthers are ranked 11th in C-USA in scoring offense (62.3 ppg) and fourth in scoring defense (62.2 ppg). Mavin (16.9 ppg) and Diaz (13.1 ppg, 6.4 rpg) are both carrying double-digit scoring averages into Saturday's action, but the Panthers have not been able to locate a consistent third option.

FIU is going to be in trouble if its perimeter shooting does not improve. The Panthers are ranked last in C-USA in 3-point field goal percentage (.278) despite their 44.6 percent effort from the floor overall being fourth-best in the conference. WKU is capable of scoring from anywhere in the half-court, and it will continue to pick up wins if its evasion of turnovers continues.