Carpenter's Corner: December 2009

Thursday, December 31, 2009

Rose Bowl Preview

Players to Watch: Ohio State QB Terrelle Pryor has underachieved this season and has to be great for the Buckeyes to have a chance at victory. Pryor is at his best when he gets outside of the pocket and can use his legs. That might be a problem in Pasadena though. Pryor has a torn PCL in his knee and if he is restricted to making plays from inside the pocket, the Buckeyes could be in big trouble. For the most part, Pryor hasn't been able to make plays down the field from inside the pocket. He completed just 11-25 passes and a pick in the loss to USC and threw two interceptions in OSU's loss to Purdue. Pryor's most efficient outing came when he was limited to short, dink and dunk passes, going 14-of-17 and 93 yards in OSU's win over Iowa but couldn't make plays when not on the move.

Oregon's LaMichael James ran for more than 100 yards in nine of his last 10 games this season. The only game the speedy freshman running back was held under 100 yards was against Washington State in a blowout (he was pulled after 81 yards and two touchdowns on just 13 carries.) James isn't the powerful runner the Ducks had in LaGarrette Blount but is more speedy and can make anyone miss in a one-on-one open-field situation.

While James is the Ducks' open-field runner, junior QB Jeremiah Masoli is the powerful runner that will run over anyone. The junior made his mark in the Holiday Bowl win over Oklahoma State last year, he ran for 106 yards and three touchdowns, also completing 18-of-32 passes for 258 yards, a touchdown and an interception. He threw just five interceptions this season compared to 15 touchdowns. Masoli's job will be to take care of the ball and keep the chains moving with his legs and his arm.

If Oregon gets up early, the Buckeyes are in trouble, the last thing OSU needs is to try and play from behind against this high-scoring Ducks team. This game will either be a close Ohio State win or an impressive Oregon blowout that could lead to a top five preseason ranking.

Quickfacts: The last time the Big Ten won the Rose Bowl was in 2000 when Wisconson beat Stanford, 17-9. The last time a Pac-10 team other than USC or Washington won the Rose Bowl was in 1987. The only time the Ducks won the Rose Bowl was in 1917 over Penn.

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Charlotte tops Mercer, 91-80

The Charlotte 49ers (10-2) got back on track Tuesday night with a 91-80 victory over the visiting Mercer Bears (4-8). Coming off a disappointing 81-48 road loss to Old Dominion last Wednesday, the 49ers got back to what they do best: scoring the ball inside.

Three of Charlotte's bigs scored in double figures Tuesday night and after two sub-60 point outings, the 49ers put away 91 on Mercer. Charlotte's leading scorer with 17.3 points per game, Shamari Spears scored 23 points and pulled down six rebounds, freshman Chris Braswell recorded his fifth double-double of the season with 14 points and 14 boards and Phil Jones came off the bench to score 11 points and grab eight rebounds.

"In the second half, our offense played really well," 49ers head coach Bobby Lutx said. "We got good play out of our big guys. Phil made some huge plays."

With point guard DiJuan Harris on the bench with foul trouble early, combo guard Derrio Green ran the point almost to perfection Tuesday night and turned in his best outing of the season. The Florida native scored a season-high 23 points, grabbed five rebounds and dished out five assists in Harris' absence.

Charlotte started off slowly, and it looked like they might be in for another sloppy game against the Bears. The Niners started off on just 5-17 shooting from the field and trailed 21-14 at the 10:19 mark when Mercer's E.J. Kusnyer buried a three-pointer to give the Bears their biggest lead of the night.

Following Kusnyer's three, the Niners went on a 10-0 run over the next three minutes, using strong inside play from Spears and Green's jump shooting to give Charlotte a lead they wouldn't relinquish. The 49ers finished strong and held a 40-36 lead.

In the second half, Charlotte kept trying to pull away from the Bears, but Mercer simply wouldn't go away. The 49ers built leads of 13, 12 and 11 points but Mercer would come right back and chip the lead down to single digits. The 49ers closed the game making 7-of-8 free throws to make the final margin 91-80.

The 49ers, who have now won eight of their last nine games, are off to their best start since the 2004 season when they started 12-2 on their way to the NCAA Tournament.

James Florence, who scored 22 points for Mercer, broke Sam Mitchell's career scoring record. Florence has 2,001 points, passing Mitchell's 1,987. Kusnyer added 14 for Mercer, Jeff Smith scored 13 and Daniel Emerson scored 12 points and had 13 rebounds.

Charlotte returns to action Saturday night against nationally-ranked Georgia Tech at 7:00 p.m.

Monday, December 28, 2009

Game Notes: Mercer @ Charlotte

The Charlotte 49ers return to the court Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. to take on the Mercer Bears at Halton Arena. The 49ers (9-2) will be looking for their 10th win of the season after totaling only 11 in 2008-09. The game starts a two-game homestand that ends with the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Charlotte is 4-0 at home this year and have recorded a double-digit win in each of the four victories.

Mercer (4-7) is 0-4 in "true" road games this season, losing to the likes of Providence, Florida State, Vanderbilt and Alabama. Tuesday will be the first meeting between the two teams. The Bears are led by guard James Florence. The senior out of Marietta Georgia is averaging 22 points per game and is one of the leading 3-point shooters at just under 35 percent. Mercer is coming off a 90-71 loss at the hands of the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Charlotte is coming off a stinging loss of their own. The 49ers traveled to Virginia last Wednesday to take on Old Dominion and suffered another blowout road loss, 81-48. The Niners have lost only twice this season, but both have been in blowout fashion; 81-48 @ ODU and 101-59 @ Duke.

The 49ers close out their non-conference schedule at home against Georgia Tech on Saturday and on the road at Tennessee next Wednesday night.

Mercer Quick Facts: http://www.mercerbears.com/documents/2009/7/20/Quick%20Facts%20%20MBB%2009-10.pdf

Mercer Statistics: http://www.mercerbears.com/custompages/mbball/2009-10/teamcume.htm

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Old Dominion ends Charlotte's win streak

Old Dominion (8-4) jumped out to an early 10-point lead over Charlotte (9-2) and never looked back on Wednesday night, handing the 49ers an 81-48 loss in Norfolk, VA. The loss ended Charlotte's seven-game winning streak, four of which had come on the road. Both of Charlotte's losses this season have come by more than 30 points, at Duke (42), and Wednesday night (33).

The Monarchs opened up their double-digit lead early and stifled Charlotte's attempt at establishing an inside game. ODU held a 27-8 lead with 8:16 to play and shot 58 percent in the first half. Meanwhile, the Niners were held to just four baskets on 25 shots and committed 11 turnovers. ODU held a comfortable 40-13 lead at the halftime break.

For the game, ODU shot 53 percent from the field compared to Charlotte's 33 percent. The Monarchs also dominated the glass, outrebounding Charlotte 47-26. ODU also recorded 24 assists

The Niners improved to 48 percent shooting in the second half but never got closer than 25 and trailed by as many as 37.

Shamari Spears, Charlotte's leading scorer at 17.9 points per game led the 49ers with 12 points. Senior point guard DiJuan Harris, averaging more than 10 points per game, scored just one.

Gerald Lee led four different Monarchs into double-figures with 16 points on 8-10 shooting, Trian Iliadis added a career-high 13 points, Kent Bazemore had 11 and Frank Hassell scored 10.

Charlotte will now face a long, six-day layoff before they return home next Tuesday to take on Mercer at 7 p.m.

Game Notes: Charlotte @ ODU

The Charlotte 49ers (9-1) will stay on the road Wednesday to take on the Old Dominion Monarchs (7-4) in a renewed rivalry between two old Sunbelt Conference teams (7 p.m. 1660-AM, Matt Sweirad). At 9-1, Charlotte is off to it's best start under head coach Bobby Lutz and it's best start since the 1991-92 season. The Niners are riding a seven-game winning streak, four in a row on the road, and have gotten themselves into the national conversation.

Against Old Dominion, the 49ers will face one of their stiffest tests yet. The Monarchs are coming off an impressive 61-57 road victory over No. 11 Georgetown. The two teams were in the Sunbelt Conference from 1983-91 and have met on the hardwood 26 times. Last year, ODU shot 50 percent from behind the three-point arc on their way to a 69-68 win at Halton Arena.

Charlotte faces an Old Dominion team that is a perfect 5-0 at home and is coming off an impressive road victory at No. 11 Georgetown. The Monarchs are holding opponents under 55 points per game and just a 39 percent shooting percentage. By contrast, Charlotte is scoring 80.1 points and is shooting 45 percent. Two of ODU's losses came on the road against powerful A-10 players Dayton (58-50) and Richmond (67-60). Charlotte trails in the all-time series 12-14. Head coach Bobby Lutz is 1-1 in Norfolk, the Niners are just 4-8 all time.

The Niners were just 2-14 in "true" road games last season but are already an impressive 5-1 on the road in 2009-10. Charlotte is 5-0 in the month of December and is a perfect 9-0 in December over the last two years. Last season's 4-0 mark included wins against Mississippi State and Southern Illinois.

Old Dominion is led this season by senior forward Gerald Lee. A native of Finland, Lee is averaging 13.5 points per game and at 6-10 250 pounds, will be a tough task to handle. Also playing a prominent role for ODU will be combo guard Marsharee Neely. The junior guard is averaging 8.1 points per game and is one of the team's leading three-point shooters at just under 33 percent. A low-scoring team, Old Dominion is averaging just 66 points per game and is shooting just 32 percent from behind the arc.

Look for Charlotte to try and shut down Lee inside and control the game in the paint with Shamari Spears and standout freshman Chris Braswell. If the Niners can control the play inside and knock down a number of shots from behind the arc, they should be sitting at 10-1 for the Christmas holiday.

Charlotte returns home to Halton Arena to play Mercer next Tuesday night.

Monday, December 21, 2009

49ers beat Winthrop for 7th straight win

The Charlotte 49ers improved to 9-1 Sunday afternoon with a 57-47 road victory over the Winthrop Eagles. The 49ers are off to their best start since the 1991-92 season when they started 11-1 on their way to the Metro Conference Championship. Charlotte has won by double-digits in its last five games.

"To not play our best yet find a way to win on the defensive end and through rebounding is satisfying," 49ers head coach Bobby Lutz said. "If you play bad and win by one on the road, it's a good win. There's no bad win on the road."

Both teams struggled from the field for the entire afternoon. Charlotte shot a below-average 39 percent, while the Eagles converted just 31 percent of their field goals. The Niners went just 3-19 from behind the arc, well below their season average, but were stellar from the foul line down the stretch to solidify the win.

The first half began slowly, with neither team able to make hardly anything from outside the paint. With Winthrop leading 15-14 with just under seven minutes remaining, 49ers forward An'Juan Wilderness came off the bench for his first minutes of the game.

The junior imposed his will on the Eagles over the next two minutes, scoring eight points in a 10-0 run to push the Charlotte lead to 24-15 with just under five minutes remaining. Charlotte led 28-24 at the break after Winthrop buried a three at the buzzer.

With Charlotte leading 49-47 with just over two minutes remaining, junior center Phil Jones nailed a mid-range jump shot to give the 49ers a four point lead they wouldn't relinquish. Senior point guard DiJuan Harris knocked down 5-of-6 free throws over the remaining minutes to seal the win for Charlotte.

Winthrop shot just 31 percent for the game, making it the sixth straight game that the 49ers have held an opponent under 38 percent shooting. Winthrop also shot poorly from the free throw line (42 percent), and from behind the arc (20 percent).

Junior Shamari Spears led the way for Charlotte with 13 points while Harris added 12. Off the bench, Wilderness scored 11 while Jones came through for six points, 11 rebounds and three blocked shots.

"I thought he made some toughness plays that he didn't make in years past," Lutz said of Jones, who posted double digit rebounds for the second time this season. "I love winning plays and today, Phil Jones made a lot of winning plays."

Charlotte will play at Old Dominion on Wednesday.

Saturday, December 19, 2009

Game Notes: Winthrop

The Charlotte 49ers (8-1) winners of six straight games, will travel to Rock Hill, SC to take on the Winthrop Eagles (5-4) Sunday at 4:00 p.m. At 8-1, the 49ers are off to their best start since the 1991-92 season when they started 11-1.

The six-game winning streak has included three wins on the road, including an 87-65 win over Louisville in Freedom Hall on December 5. The winning streak has built some national prominence for the Niners, and Charlotte is now receiving Top 25 votes in both the AP and ESPN/USA Today polls.

The last time the Niners had a six-game win streak was during the 2004-05 season when they went a perfect 7-0 in February on their way to national ranks and an NCAA Tournament berth.

The 49ers also won seven straight in the 2001-02 season on the way to the NCAA Tournament. In Bobby Lutz's first year as head coach of the Niners, the team won eight straight, including four wins in four days to win the Conference USA Tournament. The Niners also secured a first-round NCAA Tournament win that year over the Lamar Odom-led Rhode Island Rams.

Charlotte owns a 1-0 all-time lead in the series with Winthrop, securing a 70-53 victory in Halton Arena last January.

During the current six-game winning streak, the 49ers are averaging 87.3 points per game with a .497 FG% and a .368 3FG%. The 49ers have scored at least 80 points in each of the victories and their average margin of victory is an impressive 22.1 points.

Following Sunday's game against Winthrop, the Niners will travel to Virginia to take on Old Dominion on Wednesday night.

Sunday, December 13, 2009

49ers rout Gardner-Webb, 95-66

The Charlotte 49ers men’s basketball team improved their 2009-10 record to 8-1 with an easy 95-66 home win over Gardner-Webb Saturday afternoon at Halton Arena. The 49ers won their sixth straight game behind double-digit scoring efforts from six different players. The 8-1 start is the best for Charlotte since the 1991-92 season when the team started 11-1 and won the Metro Conference Championship.

Junior forward Shamari Spears and senior guard Dijuan Harris led Charlotte in scoring with 13 points each, Saturday marked the first time Charlotte had six players in double-figures since last season’s 100-80 victory over Youngstown State.

The 95-point total marked the sixth straight game of 80 or more points and the second consecutive game of more than 90 points.

“It was a really terrific team win,” 49ers coach Bobby Lutz said of the win. “We got contributions from so many guys like we’ve been getting. It’s good to see that and good to continue to be able to play guys because you never know what’s going to happen over the course of a year.”

Joining Spears and Harris in double-figure scoring were Chris Braswell (11) Shamarr Bowden (11) K.J. Sherrill (10) and forward An’Juan Wilderness (10) who scored his first points of the season after returning from a calf injury.

“In the first half, I thought when K.J. (Sherrill) came in and we went to our full-court press, that really gave us a spurt,” Lutz said. “We took a lead and enlarged it, and that really made a difference in the game.”

Gardner-Webb stuck with Charlotte in the early-going; and when Harris went down with an ankle injury, it looked like it might stay that way. It was only a mild injury though, and Harris quickly returned. With Charlotte leading 13-9, Harris made his return, much to the delight of Niner Nation. After Harris reentered the game, Charlotte went on a 13-0 run and never looked back on the Runnin’ Bulldogs.

“I knew my team needed me so I just played through the pain tonight,” Harris said of his ankle injury. “I’m very sore right now, but I’m just glad about the win. I knew I had to play through pain tonight, so I had already set my mind on playing through it.”

Charlotte had only 11 turnovers on the game and outrebounded GWU 46-36. For the game, the Niners shot 58 percent from the field and outscored the Bulldogs 56-30 in the paint.

“Obviously Charlotte had too much for us tonight both inside and outside,” Gardner-Webb head coach rick Scruggs said. “We tried some different things tonight because we knew what we were up against and knew what we had to do. Sometimes is worked and sometimes it didn’t.”

All 16 Charlotte players saw playing time and 13 different 49ers scored points. The 49ers will have eight days off before their next game; a Sunday afternoon tussle with the Winthrop Eagles in Rock Hill, S.C.

Friday, December 11, 2009

Football Images

Here are some images of what the potential football stadium will look like. It will be located where the current intramural fields are adjacent to the Robert and Mariam Hayes baseball stadium.

BOT votes to start football in 2013 at Charlotte

The UNC Charlotte Board of Trustees agreed to continue with plans to start a football team in 2013 this morning. The Plan E that was passed will require a a student fee increase of up to $320 when it is phully phased in over the next several years.

The decision was made after a lengthy discussion between the board and other campus leaders. Chancellor Dubois also gave a power-point presentation highlighting the plan. Also discussed was pushing back the football discussion for three years to give the economy time to recover.

The vote drew unanimous support from the trustees.

"It almost makes me kind of speechless, this is just unbelieveable," Athletic Director Judy Rose said of the decision. "I'm extremely optimistic that the community wants this, and the corporate community wants football for UNC Charlotte and they share our vision for this university."

The timing of the vote was just at the right time, as it will give the university time to seek approval from the UNC-system leaders to raise student fees to support the football program. It will also allow the univesity to ask state lawmakers to sign off on a $45 million on-campus stadium complex.

Rose also gave some intimate details about what the football program and facilities would entail. In terms of scheduling, Rose thinks the school might be a little bit behind.

"We're behind the 8 ball on a schedule for 2013," Rose said of the scheduling conflicts. "If you know much about college athletics, in particular football, those schedules are done four or five years in advance."

Part of the student-paid money would go towards running the football organization, but up to $120 per year would go towards to building of the stadium.

The university has sold more than 3,200 football-seat-licenses and received $1.6 million in private donations.

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

5 things to take from Tuesday night's win

1. Chris Braswell is on pace to have one of the greatest freshman seasons in 49er history. The reigning A-10 Rookie of the Week followed up his fantastic performance at Louisville with another outstanding effort against Winston-Salem State. Braswell scored 16 points and pulled down 15 rebounds in just 19 minutes of action. In doing so, he passed Cedric "Cornbread" Maxwell, Kevin King, Curtis Withers and Rodney White on the all-time list with his fourth double-double as a freshman.

2. Charles Dewhurst is doing just fine after his knee injury last year. The junior forward suffered a season-ending knee injury against Maryland last year but is showing no ill-affects this season. In 15 minutes of game-time, Dewhurst went a perfect 5-for-5 from the field, grabbed four rebounds and had just one turnover.

3. Gokhan Sirin can really shoot the ball. After a few jittery games to start the season, the freshman came in and made a real impact in Tuesday night's game. Sirin came off the bench in the second half and buried 3-of-5 3-pointers, much to the delight of the crowd in just seven minutes. He also had three offensive rebounds.

4. An'Juan Wilderness made season-debut after missing the first seven games with a calf injury. The junior saw limited minutes in his return but still crashed the boards for six rebounds. His shooting touch looked a little rusty but with more playing time, that should come back.

5. The 49ers have scoring options all over the floor. Against Louisville, the guard combo of Derrio Green and Shamarr Bowden provided much of the scoring for Charlotte when Shamari Spears was shut down on the inside. Tuesday night, with Green and Bowden relatively held in check, Spears and Chris Braswell dominated on the inside. Spears scored a game-high 17 points and Charlotte had four players reach double-figures for their highest scoring output of the season.

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Charlotte's bigs power 49ers past Winston-Salem State

Behind another strong performance for freshman Chris Braswell and a stellar night from Shamari Spears, the Charlotte 49ers blew past undersized Winston-Salem State 94-52, Tuesday night.

Braswell went a perfect 7-7 from the field, scored 16 points and pulled down 15 rebounds. The fantastic frosh now has 29 rebounds combined over the last two games and passed the likes of Cornbread Maxwell, Kevin King, Rodney White and Curtis Withers with his fourth double-double of the season. Spears added 17 points for Charlotte (7-1), who continue to power past teams with their deadly inside game.

“Obviously, I’m very pleased with the way we played,” 49ers head man Bobby Lutz said. “In years past, it may have been a little bit of a danger game coming off a big win. But this team’s got a lot of focus. Even though this was a game we expected to win, I don’t think we took them for granted at all.”

Behind five early points in the paint from Braswell, Charlotte went on a 9-0 run to begin the game and never looked back. In Saturday’s win over Louisville, Spears was shut down and the 49ers relied on their prominent outside shooters Shamarr Bowden and Derrio Green to knock down 3-pointers. Tonight was a different story though, as Charlotte scored at will against the Rams’ undersized big men and controlled the boards.

For the game, Charlotte held a 50-27 edge in rebounding and outscored the Rams’ bench 38-9. Poor shooting and an inability to get the ball on the inside prevented the Rams from keeping this one close. Lamar Monger led WSSU in scoring with 14 points while Paul Davis added 12 points and seven rebounds.

“We just really put an emphasis in practice in boxing out more and being physical,” Lutz said of the huge rebounding edge. “In our guards chasing, you know as good as our post-rebounding was, Dijuan (Harris) had four defensive rebounds and besides Chris (Braswell), that’s as many as anybody got.”

The 49ers focused on taking high-percentage shots from inside the paint in the first half to build a 43-22 lead at the break. Overall, Charlotte shot 57 percent in the first half, going just 1-6 from behind the arc. Following the strong performance in Louisville on Saturday, the guard duo of Bowden and Green was held in check, combining for only six points on the night.

In the second half, Charlotte continued to rebound the ball well and score high-percentage baskets, outscoring the Rams 51-30 in the final stanza. Junior An’Juan Wilderness made his debut after missing the first seven games with a strained left calf and pulled down six rebounds.

Charlotte freshman Gokhan Sirin came off the bench to knock down three second-half 3-pointers and pull down five rebounds, much to the delight of Niner Nation. Also seeing action late in the game were Trevin Parks, Colby Lewis and Kyle Church.

Charlotte returns to the hardwood Saturday afternoon to take on Gardner Webb at 3:30 p.m. as part of a double-header with the women’s team.

Monday, December 7, 2009

Charlotte opens two-game homestand Tuesday

The Charlotte 49ers return home for a two-game homestand this week, beginning with Winston-Salem State Tuesday at 8 p.m. and Saturday against Gardner Webb at 3:30 p.m.

Charlotte is coming off an impressive 22-point victory over No. 18 Louisville Saturday night, handing Rick Pitino his worst home loss as coach of the Cardinals.

The 6-1 49ers are off to their best start since the 2000-01 season, a year in which they made the NCAA Tournament. The last time Charlotte started the season 7-1 was in the 1994-95 season when they went on to an eventual 19-9 record behind the strong play of 49ers star Jarvis Lang (16.4 ppg; 8.9 rpg). In 1991-92, the 49ers started off 11-1. After an opening season loss, the 'Niners ripped off 11 straight wins.

The 49ers have never played Winston-Salem State while the 49ers own a 1-0 record all-time against Gardner Webb. Charlotte won the only meeting between the teams in 2007 with an 83-51 victory over the Bulldogs.

Junior An'Juan Wilderness was expected to make his return from a strained calf in Saturday's game at Louisville but did not return. He is listed as questionable for tomorrow's game against WSSU.

The 49ers' 22-point win over Louisville was the largest margin of victory for head coach Bobby Lutz over a Top 25 opponent. It also marked the third consecutive year that Charlotte has beaten a Top 25 team. The first time a team under Lutz has achieved that mark.

After his 21-point, 14-rebound effort against Louisville, standout freshman Chris Braswell was named A-10 Rookie of the Week. Braswell leads Charlotte in rebounds per game (9.1) and has three double-doubles through just seven games. the last freshman to lead Charlotte in rebounding was Jarvis Lang in 1990-91 (10.6). Former Charlotte freshman standouts Cedric "Cornbread" Maxwell, Kevin King, Rodney White and Curtis Withers all had three double-doubles as freshman.

Saturday, December 5, 2009

Niners streak past Louisville

Behind 21 points from freshman Chris Braswell and a career-high 20 points from freshman guard Derrio Green, the Charlotte 49ers routed No. 18 Louisville Saturday night, 87-65 in Freedom Hall.

Braswell also pulled down a game-high 14 rebounds while Shammar Bowden added 17 points for the 49ers (6-1).

The 49ers made 10 of 24 three-pointers and dominated the Cardinals on the glass 49-35. The win was the 49ers first over a ranked team since they beat No. 16 Xavier at home in February and was the Cradinal's worst home loss since losing by 34 to the 49ers back in 2001 when the teams were both in Conference USA.

The duo of Bowden and Green combined to go 9 for 20 from behind the arc, including a couple that set back a second-half Louisville surge.

Without starters Jerry Smith and Peyton Siva, and prominent backup Preston Knowles, the Cardinals were never able to keep up with Charlotte. But with the way the 49ers were shooting, it might not have mattered.

The 49ers didn't waste much time getting started as Green knocked down three straight 3-pointers in the opening minutes to give the 49ers a 17-6 lead.

Prioir to the game, Rick Pitino said he was concerned with slowing down Shamari Spears on the inside. And they did, holding Spears to just nine points--12 under his average and nine rebounds.

The 49ers' backcourt made him pay for it.

The 49ers frustrated Samardo Samuels on the inside as Louisville couldn't match the 'Niners hot shooting. The 49ers took a 47-32 lead into halftime as Green buried yet another long three just before the buzzer. Green turned to the crowd and gave the "3 point" sign as he raced back down the floor.

Charlotte returns home on Tuesday night as part of a double-header with the women's team to take on Winston Salem State.

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Charlotte cruises past ECU, 80-68

Behind a season-high 17 points from senior point guard Dijuan Harris and 10 points off the bench for junior Phil Jones, the Charlotte 49ers men’s basketball team won convincingly over ECU Wednesday night, 80-68.

In just 32 minutes of game action, Harris turned in his most productive game of the season, scoring 17 points, dishing out six assists and shooting a respectable 80 percent from the foul line.

“This game was a good game, we won. But we need to go watch some tape,” Harris said following the 80-68 win. “We need to work on the mistakes we made. Now it’s time to look ahead to Saturday against Louisville. We have a big game that we have to prepare for.”

The win improved Charlotte to 5-1 on the young season and dropped road-weary East Carolina to 3-5. Charlotte won only 11 games last season, but this is a new season, and the 49ers are off to one of the best starts in team history under head coach Bobby Lutz.

“It’s a much better start than last year,” Harris said of the strong start. “We had a tough loss against Duke. We gotta just continue to get better though at the defensive end. We did get some stops tonight but we didn’t rebound particularly well tonight. We just have to go back to the lab.”

Charlotte forward Shamari Spears didn’t crack the 20-point mark for the first time this season but still came through with a solid effort, scoring 12 points while pulling down six rebounds in just his fifth game as a 49er.

The depth of the 49ers played a huge role in the eventual outcome against ECU as well. Charlotte had 10 different players score and outscored ECU’s bench 37-3. Jones led the bench attack with 10 points in just 21 minutes of play.

“I think some teams, we can wear down over the course of a 40 minute game,” 49ers head coach Bobby Lutz said of his team’s depth. “Everybody that came in did a good job. In my mind, they’re all starters and they’re all important. Against Louisville we could change it up. It just depends on the situation.”’

ECU’s Brock Young led all scorers with a season-high 24 points while the Pirates’ Chad Wynn had a game-high 10 rebounds.

Charlotte came out on fire shooting and led by as much as 18 near the end of the first half. The second half however, was a much different story.

In all, 47 personal fouls were called during the game and at times, the number of fouls being called seemed to dictate the pace of play. Charlotte pushed it’s lead to as many as 19 early in the second half, but the slow pace of play allowed the Pirates to pull to within seven with just under four minutes remaining. The 49ers closed out the game on a 10-5 scoring run to lock up another win and move the team to it’s best start since the 2000-01 season.

Charlotte continues it’s Conference USA schedule this Saturday when they take on Louisville at 7 p.m. in Freedom Hall. Charlotte is 15-16 all-time against their old conference foes, including a 5-10 record at Freedom Hall. The Niners held a 12-9 series advantage from 1996-2005 when the two teams were members of Conference USA.

Carpenter's Corner