Western Kentucky head coach Greg Collins watches a play Saturday, December 29, 2018, during Western Kentucky's 77-65 win over Union at E.A. Diddle Arena. (Bac Totrong/photo@bgdailynews.com)

The second half of Western Kentucky’s season will begin without one of its key members. That’s especially a setback when the Lady Toppers’ biggest challenge right now is growth and communication on defense.

WKU will be without redshirt junior Alexis Brewer for at least the first two games of the Conference USA schedule, and maybe longer.

The sharp-shooting guard has dealt all season with a nagging shoulder injury and will miss at least two games, starting with Thursday night’s home game against Charlotte (6 p.m., ESPN3, 102.7 FM).

Brewer’s absence takes experience and veteran leadership off the floor for WKU (6-8).

“Main thing we lose is confidence and experience,” WKU coach Greg Collins said. “I think we’ve got some other young ladies that have worked really hard and want those opportunities and minutes and they’ll gain that experience by gaining this opportunity. We hope once we figure out what’s going on with Alexis, we can get her healthy and back on the court.”

Through 14 nonconference games, Brewer is third on the team with 11.8 points per game while averaging 29.3 minutes on the floor. She’s started 12 games and scored a season-high 22 points in the opener against Louisville, her first outing in a WKU jersey after sitting out a season due to transfer rules.

The Buffalo native, who started her career at West Virginia, was a reliable 3-point shooter who saw production fall the last three games with the shoulder injury to her shooting arm. Brewer was 5-of-20 from behind the arc the last three games.

Without Brewer, WKU has the 3-point shooters it needs with Dee Givens shooting 41 percent from behind the arc and senior Sidnee Bopp now with an opportunity off the bench.

But what WKU misses in scoring without Brewer isn’t as much a concern as the vocal leadership needed on defense. The Lady Toppers’ 76.1 points scored per game ranks second behind Alabama-Birmingham (78.8) in C-USA.

WKU’s biggest need is an improved defensive communication that’s allowed a league worst 49 percent field goal defensive percentage, 40 percent allowance on 3-pointers and 78.1 points per game.

“We kind of struggled with defense in nonconference, so going into it we’re trying to do better,” guard Sherry Porter said. “We could talk more on defense. That would be a big step. Talking more and just communicating as a team on the floor. We’ve got the offense taken care of. It’s just defense, have to get better at it.”

For context, WKU was dealt a juggernaut of a nonconference slate by playing four teams in the top 11 in the latest RPI ratings between Notre Dame (1), Louisville (8), Gonzaga (9) and Iowa (11). Wins against two Division-II teams didn’t help WKU’s RPI, which sits at 157th and sixth among C-USA teams.

Collins identified early that WKU would play a quick offensive style at the risk of defense catching on by conference play.

Now is the time when production needs to happen for a good start in C-USA.

“We need players that know what’s going on to tell the other players what to do, not to assume,” Collins said. “We’re getting better at that. Some of it is not talking because you’re not sure what’s supposed to happen and that’s a learning process as well. We’re trying to simplify that and we’re not asking for anything complicated.”

Charlotte (8-4) enters No. 79 in the latest RPI with a strong post presence in 6-foot-3 freshman Jazmin Harris, who has twice been named the C-USA Freshman of the Week. WKU guard Meral Abdelgawad currently holds that title after scoring 26 points against Union (Tenn.) on Saturday.

The 49ers are 1-3 on the road this year and are coming off a four-point loss at Virginia on Sunday. Veteran guard Laia Raventos averages 11 points and 4.4 assists per game, while Harris boasts 9.3 points and 4.3 rebounds per contest.

“We take the losses we had from nonconference and start over,” Givens said. “Everyone is 0-0 now and this is a fresh start. This is the season that really counts.”

Charlotte (8-4) at Western Kentucky (6-8)

Thursday, 6 p.m., Diddle Arena

Probable starters

Western Kentucky – Whitney Creech, g, 5-8, jr. (4.7 ppg, 2.9 apg); Sherry Porter, g, 5-7, so. (5.8 ppg, 2.3 rpg); Meral Abdelgawad, g, 5-11, fr. (9.5 ppg, 2.8 rpg); Dee Givens, f, 6-1, r-jr. (18.4 ppg, 4.0 rpg); Raneem Elgedawy, f, 6-4, so. (14.8 ppg, 7.08 rpg)

Charlotte – Laia Raventos, g, 5-7, sr. (11.7 ppg, 4.4 apg); Jazmin Harris, c, 6-3, fr. (9.3 ppg, 4.3 rpg); Octavio Jett-Wilson, g, 5-8, so. (6.9 ppg, 2.8 rpg); Jade Phillips, g, 5-11, r-jr. (14.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg); Mariah Linney, g, 5-9, so. (11.0 ppg, 2.4 rpg)

Online Stream – ESPN3

Radio ESPN 102.7 FM or 1450 AM

Coaches Greg Collins (6-8 first season), Western Kentucky; Cara Consuegra (134-95 eighth season, 134-95 eighth overall) Charlotte.

Series WKU leads 17-5 (WKU won the last meeting 83-61 on Feb. 23)

Last time out

Western Kentucky won 77-65 over Union (Tenn). on Saturday; Charlotte lost to Virginia 65-61 on Sunday.{&end}