GAME NOTES: The Conference USA-leading Western Kentucky Hilltoppers play host to the UTEP Miners at what should be a raucous E.A. Diddle Arena on Thursday night.

Courtney Lee of the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies will have his No. 32 jersey retired at halftime. Lee is tied atop the WKU all-time scoring list and was taken with the 22nd overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft.

The Hilltoppers sit at 12-5 overall and are a perfect 5-0 in C-USA action. They rattled off their seventh straight win Saturday in a 65-58 decision over FIU.

It took awhile for WKU to find its footing, shooting an ugly 23.3 percent from the field in an even first half, but the Hilltoppers turned things around in the second half and pulled out a win.

George Fant scored 20 points and pulled down 11 rebounds, Justin Johnson added 11 points and T.J. Price chipped in with nine points, eight rebounds and four assists for the victors.

Fan has been spearheading the charge during the current winning streak. The 6- foot-6 senior forward has posted six straight double-doubles and is averaging 19.0 points and 11.2 rebounds over that stretch. Price leads the way with 17.6 ppg over the course of the season and has scored at least 20 points in seven of the last nine games.

Overall, WKU is putting up 73.9 ppg, while allowing 66.8. Opponents have managed to shoot just .404 against the Hilltoppers.

Also quietly at 12-5 overall is UTEP, which won for the fourth time in five conference tests with a dominating 73-55 win on Saturday against Texas-San Antonio. Earvin Morris netted 23 points, Cedrick Lang added 11 points and eight rebounds, and Julian Washburn added 11 points, six boards and four assists.

The Miners pulled away by making good on 54.8 percent of its field goal tries and assisting 10 of its 17 makes from the floor after the break.

Vince Hunter paces the team in scoring at 16.1 ppg, while Morris and Land are just over 10 each time out. The squad is producing 69.8 ppg overall, more than eight points than the opposition.

UTEP has won 12 of its last 13 C-USA road games, a stretch that has seen the Miners limit opponents to 57.6 ppg. The Miners have yet to play at WKU, which is trying to start 6-0 in conference play for the first time since 1969-70.

It will be a tight one, but the energy of the home fans and the mere presence of Lee should be enough to lift the Hilltoppers to victory.