Green named Player of the Week

Charlotte 49ers sophomore guard Derrio Green has been named A-10 Player of the week for this week. Green scored 26 points in Charlotte's 74-64 win over #15/#15 Temple on Wednesday night and scored 34 in last night's 72-58 win over UMass in Amherst.

Green connected on 8-of-16 3-pointers against UMass, the most by any opponent in the history of the Mullins Center and for the week, totaled 60 points, seven assists and four steals in just two games.

Green propelled the Niners to their third straight A-10 road win and fifth straight overall. ESPN's Andy Katz also named Green as his "Big Man On Campus" for his 34 points on Saturday.

Green and the Niners will look for their sixth consecutive win Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m. when they welcome the George Washington Colonials to Halton Arena.

Green outduels Harris in Amherst

Derrio Green scored a career-high 34 points on 8-of-16 shooting from downtown and outdueled UMass point guard Ricky Harris (25 points) to lead Charlotte to a 72-58 win over the Minutemen in Amherst, Mass.

Green nailed five 3-pointers in the first half on his way to 21 points and give the Niners a 34-26 halftime lead. Charlotte trailed 9-6 but went on a 15-0 run sparked by three Green tre's to make the score 21-9 with 10:40 left in the first.

UMass came out firing in the second half and trimmed a 10-point Charlotte lead down to one at 37-36 with 16:10 remaining in the game. After UMass got within one, Phil Jones took over. The six-foot-10-inch center scored seven straight points that included two foul-line jumpers and his second 3-pointer of the season, sparking a 15-3 run that virtually put the Minutemen away.

Another Green 3-pointer pushed the Niner lead to 58-41 with 6:26 left and Charlotte was able to make enough free throws over the final minutes to seal the win.

The win was the third straight conference road win for the Niners a year after going 0-8 on the road in A-10 play. Green's 34-point night was the third consecutive game in which he has scored 20 points or more and his eight 3-pointers was a career-high.

Jones added 12 points for Charlotte (16-5; 6-1) as the Niners shot 40 percent from the field and 43 percent from long-range while holding UMass to 34 percent from the field and just 14 percent from behind the arc.

Shamari Spears was held to a season-low four points and freshman sensation Chris Braswell fouled out after collecting seven points and seven rebounds for Charlotte.

Harris led UMass with 25 points and Anthony Gurley added 11 for the Minutemen.

Charlotte returns to action Wednesday night against George Washington at 7:30 p.m. in Halton Arena.

Niners topple Billikens Saturday afternoon

The Charlotte 49ers women's basketball team (13-8; 6-1) won their sixth straight game Saturday afternoon, knocking off the visiting St. Louis Billikens (7-14; 1-5) 63-56 to move to 6-1 in A-10 play this season.

The Niners struggled in the first half with 14 turnovers leading to 14 Billiken points but still led at halftime, 30-28. The Niners trailed briefly at 36-34 with 14:51 left in the second half but pulled away from the Billikens the rest of the way for their 13th win of the season.

Charlotte outrebounded the Billikens 41-31 but lost the battle in the paint, getting outscored 24-22 by the Billikens' physical inside players.

Even with the bad weather, Niner Nation still came out and supported the 49ers to their ninth straight home victory.

Charlotte had three players in double-figures, led by Aysha Jones who scored 19 and also notched her 1,000th career point late in the first half. Jennifer Hailey scored 12 and Ashley Spriggs added 10 for Charlotte.

The Niners travel to Dayton Oh. Wednesday morning for an 11 a.m. match-up with the Flyers.

Game Notes: Charlotte @ UMass

49ers on a roll:

The Charlotte 49ers (15-5, 5-1), winners of four straight against A-10 opponents head up north to take on the Minutemen of Massachusetts (8-12, 2-4) in a 6:00 p.m. match-up Saturday evening. Charlotte picked up two key road wins last week at Richmond and La Salle and is coming off an impressive 74-64 win over #15/#15 Temple on Wednesday night at Halton Arena. After a miserable 2008-09 season, the 49ers have made a complete turn around and already have the same amount of conference wins (5) as they had last year and have two Top 20 wins (at #20/#18 Louisville; vs. #15/#15 Temple). The five A-10 wins the 49ers have are against teams they lost to in 2008-09.

Résumé:

As of Jan. 27, Charlotte is 42nd in RPI according to realtimerpi.com. The Niners are 3-5 against Top 50 RPI teams and are winning by an average of 13.8 points per game. Charlotte’s Top 50 RPI wins came against vs. Temple (#16); at Richmond (#40) and at Louisville (#44). All five of the Niners’ losses have come against Top 40 RPI teams (at Duke (#3); at Xavier (#15); at Tennessee (#24); vs. Georgia Tech (#29); at Old Dominion (#39)).

The all-time series:

The 49ers are 4-3 all-time against Massachusetts including 2-2 in A-10 regular-season games, 1-1 in Amherst. Charlotte recorded a 69-65 A-10 Tournament win over the Minutemen in 2008 and stole a 69-64 OT win last year at Halton Arena. UMass won the last meeting in Amherst, 86-79 in 2008.

Players to watch: UMass

Ricky Harris: A preseason A-10 first-team selection, Harris is averaging 17.5 points per game and is averaging a team-high 29.3 minutes per game. He has scored in double-figures 29 games in a row and in 82 of 116 career games at UMass. Standing at 6-foot-2, 175 pounds, Harris is extremely athletic and was named the most entertaining player in the A-10.

Anthony Gurley: A red-shirt junior, Gurley is a transfer from Wake Forest and is averaging 14.9 points and 16.6 minutes per game. Gurley is athletic, tough and has the potential to be one of the best defenders in the country. He gives the Minutemen some much-needed toughness on the wing and if he can be effective on the glass, can give UMass a good chance to pick up a victory.

Players to watch: Charlotte

Chris Braswell: An A-10 Rookie of the Year candidate, Braswell is a rebounding machine and provides the 49ers with the inside presence they lacked in 2008-09. Braswell scored 15 points, 14 in the second half and pulled down seven boards in Charlotte’s win over #15/#15 Temple on Wednesday night and is the perfect compliment to junior transfer Shamari Spears. Braswell is 34-of-37 from the charity stripe since conference play began against St. Bonaventure.

Derrio Green: Green has been a monster lately, scoring in double-figures in nine straight games, including a 31-point effort against Georgia Tech and 26 points Wednesday night against Temple. Green has averaged 15.7 points per game since conference play began and has dished out 17 assists over the last three games.

A few things to take away from the win over Temple

Holding down the fort

Opponents have always had a tough time winning in Halton Arena, with the slight exception of last year. This year, the 49ers are protecting the home floor better than they have in years. Charlotte is 8-1 at Halton this season with the lone loss coming to 20th-ranked Georgia Tech. Halton was rocking on Wednesday night as Charlotte derailed Temple’s run through the A-10 and proved to be one of the best home court advantages in the conference. Temple was 8-1 on the road before Wednesday night’s game and came in boasting one of the best defenses in the country. Charlotte exploited the Owls’ defense for 46 second-half points with their powerful inside game and shut down Temple with a tricky 2/3 zone defense.

Shooting struggles

Temple’s shooting percentage (34.4 percent) wasn’t indicative of the shot selection the Owls got in the first half. Temple used crisp, efficient passing to move the ball around the floor and get open looks at the basket and at times, passed up open looks in the paint to move the ball around the perimeter. Aside from Ryan Brooks’ hot shooting from the perimeter in the early-going, the Owls couldn’t buy an outside shot, going 11-for-35 from behind the arc. Charlotte coach Bobby Lutz eluded to the fact that the poor shooting could be attributed to Charlotte’s zone defense, which put the ball in the hands of some people that Temple didn’t really want shooting.

Frontline

Bobby Lutz’s Charlotte squads have always been known for their up-tempo style of play and reliance on the 3-point shot in big-time games. Now, Charlotte has the frontline to allow them to work the ball inside out and rely on the big men inside. Charlotte’s number of 3-point attempts have gone down, and their win total has gone up over the last three games. The Niners knocked down 8-of-15 in a crucial road win against Richmond, 7-of-22 on the road against a feisty La Salle squad and hit 4-of-15 from downtown Wednesday night. With Chris Braswell and Shamari Spears on the inside, the 49ers don’t have to rely on the 3-point shot and they showed that in the second half Wednesday night, shooting 58.3 percent and attempting only six 3-pointers in the second stanza.

Green Wave

Derrio Green has been on fire of late, especially against Top 25 opponents. Green scored another 26 points last night and is averaging 19 points per game against teams ranked in the Top 25. Green is also averaging 15.7 points per game since the conference season began and has dished out 17 assists over the last three games.

The Little Apple in Charlotte?

Anyone catch last Monday’s battle between #9 Kansas State and #1 Texas in the “Little Apple” in Manhattan, Kan.? Apparently someone in the Charlotte Athletic department did. The K-State faithful had large head cutouts of Head Coach Frank Martin and players Jacob Pullen and Jamar Samuels in the win over the nation’s top-ranked team. Wednesday night, I wasn’t surprised to see large head cutouts of Charlotte coach Bobby Lutz, forward Shamari Spears and point guard Dijuan Harris adorning the student section. For future reference, I think it’s a great idea and added a unique aspect to Niner Nation.

What a Hoot, Charlotte knocks off Owls at Halton

Derrio Green scored a game-high 26 points and the Charlotte 49ers overcame a 10-point deficit with a furious second half rally to knock off No. 15 Temple 74-64 at Halton Arena Wednesday night.

Chris Braswell scored 14 of his 15 points in the second half and Shamari Spears scored 11 points and grabbed nine rebounds for Charlotte (15-5, 5-1) to create a mess at the top of the Atlantic 10. With the win, Charlotte created a three-way tie at the top of the conference with Temple and idle Xavier, all at 5-1 in conference play.

“It was a great win for us, you know we’ve been working hard all season and I think it’s time it starts paying off,” Spears said after the win. “Last week we went on the road and got a buzzer-beater from An’Juan (Wilderness) and this week we got a home win against a very good team in Temple. I think it speaks volumes for the hard work we’ve been putting in.”

The Niners used a stifling zone defense to confuse the Owls and caused them to resort to low-percentage shots for the entire night. The Owls shot just 35 percent from the field, shot 11-of-35 from downtown and lost for the first time since getting trounced at home by then No. 1 Kansas on Jan. 2.

“We didn’t attack it (the zone defense) very well, we didn’t look very fluid as we were attacking,” Temple Head Coach Fran Dunphy said. “We did get some decent shots, we rushed a few. We didn’t make many shots in the second half. We need to get the ball inside a little bit more.”

Ryan Brooks led Temple in the scoring category with 20 points on 7-of-15 shooting in 40 minutes of play and Luiz Guzman scored a career-high 14 points as the Owls lost for just the second time in 15 games.

“We knew coming into this game that Charlotte was a very good team at home and we knew they were looking forward to this game,” Brooks said following the loss. “We felt we had to establish ourselves early and just play a consistent ball game. Credit them, they did a great job, they zoned up in the first and second half and made us kind of stagnant on offense.”

The Charlotte faithful, who hadn’t had a signature home win since knocking off No. 16 Xavier last Feb., swarmed over the Halton Arena floor after the final seconds ticked off the clock, sending the arena into a confetti-filled frenzy.

Plagued by injuries a year ago, Charlotte won just 11 games and won only five games in-conference. With three new players added to the starting line-up, the 49ers now have one of the best front lines in the A-10 with Spears and Braswell and have one of the best young guards with Green.

“It’s a great win for our program, I think we did beat a great team tonight,” Charlotte Head Coach Bobby Lutz said. “Halton Arena was back like it can be and it made it a lot of fun. Second half, I just kept telling them that if we hung around, we were going to make a Charlotte run, I didn’t know when, but I knew it was going to come.”

It looked like it might be another long night for the Niners against a ranked opponent when they fell behind 7-0 early in the first half. Charlotte got back in the game, but it was hard to stay with Temple and the hot-shooting Brooks. The standout senior guard connected on four of his first six 3-pointers and had 12 points at the halfway mark. After Scootie Randall nailed a three to put Temple up 28-18 with 4:44 remaining, Charlotte went on a 10-1 run and closed the gap to one before Guzman knocked down a three with just two seconds left on the clock to put Temple up 32-28 at the half.

Temple’s biggest second-half lead was seven points, 41-34 at the 14:59 mark. But Charlotte started pounding the ball inside to Spears, a Boston College transfer and Braswell, a candidate for A-10 Rookie of the Year.

Held to just one point and two rebounds in the first half, Braswell exploded in the second half with 14 points and five rebounds and led Charlotte to it’s second win over a Top 20 team this season, the first time Charlotte has accomplished that feat since the 2004-05 season when they made the NCAA Tournament.

“The zone was the big difference tonight without question,” Lutz said. “Our guys did a great job of being active and forcing some guys to shoot that maybe they didn’t want. We just had so many guys play well. It was a great team win against a great team.”

With Green’s layup at the 7:02 mark, Charlotte took their first lead of the game at 50-49 and after a counter-jumper by Temple’s Brooks to make the score 51-50, the Niners took over. Six-foot-10-inch Phil Jones knocked down an 18-footer to put the 49ers up 52-51 and Braswell scored the next six points to put Charlotte up 58-51 with 3:33 left.

Temple’s Juan Fernandez scored his only points of the night on a 3-pointer to close the gap to just four points at 60-56 with 2:37 left after his status was uncertain coming into the game because of concussion-like symptoms. It showed, Fernandez scored just three points on 1-of-5 shooting and fouled out in the closing seconds of the game.

Charlotte locked down defensively the rest of the way and Green capped off the win with a steal and breakaway dunk with 34 seconds left to make the score 73-62. The 49ers have come a long way since last season’s meeting between the two teams in Philadelphia in which Temple trounced Charlotte 80-53 to put an exclamation point on Charlotte’s miserable season.

“It’s just fun to be in the fight again,” Lutz said. “I’m just thankful for our fans, that’s the way I wish our crowd was every game. Think of how good we would be if they came like that every game.”

The Niners will look to avoid a letdown on Saturday when they travel to Amherst, Mass. to take on the Minutemen at 6 p.m.

Niners oust Spiders Tuesday night

The Charlotte 49ers women’s basketball team (12-8; 5-1 A-10) continued their roll through conference play Tuesday night with a 60-46 win over visiting Richmond (14-6; 3-2 A-10) in a rematch of last year’s Atlantic 10 Championship final.

Richmond was 3-1 in conference play coming into the game but were coming off a horrendous 83-31 road loss at the hands of conference rival Dayton in which the Spiders were held to just 16 points in the first half.

Charlotte had a stretch over the first five minutes of play where they couldn’t score and allowed the Spiders to go on a 9-0 scoring run and take the lead 11-3 with 13:38 remaining. Charlotte countered with a 6-0 run to close the gap and get back into the game.

After Charlotte’s counter-run, the game was back-and-forth for the rest of the first half and when Ashley Spriggs made a bank shot with just under 10 seconds left in the half, the game was tied at 26.

“Once again, I thought we really got off to a slow start, but I attribute a lot of that to Richmond,” Charlotte head coach Karen Aston said after the game. “We thought they would come in here ready to go, and they did. It took us some time to adjust with the way they were playing. I thought Kelsy (Mcadoo), Jennifer (Hailey), Jessica (Johnson) and Jaquaria (Forney) all gave us a lift in the first half when Shannon and Ashley got in foul trouble.”

Charlotte came out firing in the second half and outscored Richmond 14-4 to open up their lead to 40-30 with 13:35 remaining. Richmond came right back with a 9-0 run though, and made the score 40-39 with 8:47 remaining in the game.

After Brittani Shells tied the game at 46 on a 3-pointer, Shannon McCallum and the Niners took over. McCallum nailed a long-range three to put Charlotte up 49-46 with 4:33 left and after Shells’ tying 3-pointer with 5:28 left, Richmond didn’t score again. Charlotte closed the game on a sizzling 14-0 run to move to 8-1 on the season at Halton Arena and take sole possession of third place in the Atlantic 10 behind only Duquesne and Xavier.

“The older players really were the anchor in the second half,” Aston said of the second half surge. “I thought Shannon hit some really big shots and made a couple of really critical defensive plays but you can just tell that the upperclassmen had been in this environment before. They really are stepping up to the plate right now for our team.”

McCallum had a game-high 19 points for Charlotte to go along with 12 rebounds while Ashley Spriggs also notched a double-double, recording 15 points and 10 rebounds. Aysha Jones was the third double-digit scorer for Charlotte with 10 points and Erin Floyd added nine points and six rebounds

The Niners struggled rebounding the ball in the early-going and Head Coach Karen Aston was visibly upset, calling a timeout at one point to regroup her team. Apparently the message got through. The 49ers grabbed 16 offensive rebounds the rest of the way and outrebounded the Spiders by 10, 42-32. The Niners also used a plethora of high-percentage shots to oust Richmond. At halftime, the Niners had a 22-14 advantage in points in the paint and by the end of the game had built that advantage to 38-24.

“We do rebound the ball pretty well and I think teams come out of the gate thinking ‘we have to stop them from rebounding’,” Aston said of the rebounding effort. “I think though as the game goes along, they forget a little bit and they probably don’t sustain that pressure. We do typically get a little bit stronger on the boards in the second half just because we keep kind of doing what we’re doing.”

Shells had 15 points to lead Richmond, who after starting off 3-0 in Atlantic 10 play have dropped two straight. Katie Holzer added six points for the Spiders and Abby Oliver connected on all six of her free throws to add six points.

For the game, Charlotte shot 43.4 percent from the field and 50 percent from behind the arc. Richmond on the other hand shot just 30.9 percent from the field and 21.4 percent from downtown. The only statistical advantage the Spiders held on the night was free throw percentage (75 percent to 55 percent), and bench points (14 to 4).

The win moves Charlotte to 5-1 in conference play on the season and extended the Niners’ winning streak to a season-high five games. The Niners return to the hardwood Saturday night for a primetime matchup with Saint Louis at Halton Arena.

Braswell Earns Conference Honors

For the third time this season, Charlotte 49ers freshman forward Chris Braswell has been named A-10 Rookie of the Week.

The 6-foot-8 Hargrave Military Academy product averaged 15.3 points and 10.3 rebounds in Charlotte's 3-0 week.

Braswell scored 16 points and pulled down eight boards in last Sunday's 63-61 OT win over St. Louis and scored nine second-half points and pulled down 10 boards in the team's 71-59 win over Richmond. Braswell capped off the week with a 21-point 13-rebound effort in Charlotte's thrilling win over La Salle. Saturday's double-double was his team-leading sixth of the season.

Buzzer-Beater lifts Charlotte past La Salle

The Charlotte 49ers won nine of their first 11 games by 10 points or more and lost four of five games by 10 or more. Oh boy, how conference play changes things. The 49ers won another close game Saturday afternoon when An’Juan Wilderness drained a runner as time expired to defeat La Salle, 84-82 at Tom Gola Arena.

Charlotte controlled the game for it’s entirety, with their largest lead being 11 with just under 12 minutes left, 70-59. But the pesky Explorers wouldn’t go away, eventually battling back to take the lead on Charlotte at 77-76 late in the second half.

With the game tied at 82, La Salle got the ball back with the shot clock off and a chance to win or at least go to overtime. Standout senior Rodney Green made a perfect entry pass to freshman Aaric Murray, but the freshman fumbled away the perfect pass, turning the ball over to Charlotte with 4.5 seconds left.

Senior point guard Dijuan Harris would normally be the person Charlotte would try and get the ball to, but the senior had fouled out earlier in the game, leaving Wilderness as the best option. Wilderness got the ball and raced down the right side. La Salle’s Green picked him up at the foul line, but the junior forward got his shot up and in from 16 feet as time expired.

The win moved Charlotte to 14-5 on the season and 4-1 in A-10 play, making Wednesday night’s showdown with Temple a battle for first place in the conference.

The Niners were led once again by junior forward Shamari Spears, who finished with 22 points. Charlotte also got 20-point outings from Chris Braswell and Derrio Green. Braswell scored 21 and pulled down 13 boards for his sixth double-double of the season and Green scored 20 points and dished out seven assists. Wilderness added 13 for the Niners and scored Charlotte’s final seven points. Rodney Green had a game-high 32 points for La Salle (10-9; 2-3).

The win was the third in a row for Charlotte and first back-to-back conference road wins since the 2005-06 season. The Niners have now faced the top three individual scorers in the A-10 on the road (Crawford, Anderson, and Green), and have emerged with a 2-1 record. La Salle, Xavier and Richmond were also preseason Top-4 picks in conference.

Charlotte will have an opportunity to seize first place in the A-10 when they welcome the 16th-ranked Temple Owls to Halton Arena on Wednesday night.

Charlotte Travels North to Take on La Salle

The Charlotte 49ers (13-5; 3-1) travel to La Salle (10-8; 2-2) Saturday afternoon looking for their second A-10 road win in a row after not winning a single conference road game in 2008-09. Charlotte hosted La Salle in their A-10 home opener last season, falling 68-61 after being outrebounded 50-25. In that game, the Explorers had nearly as many offensive rebounds (20) as Charlotte had total rebounds. Charlotte owns a 4-1 series lead and last beat the Explorers two years ago at Tom Gola Arena.

The Explorers, winners of two straight have been led by freshman standout and reigning conference Rookie of the Week Aaric Murray. Over the last four games, Murray has averaged 19.8 points per game, 8.5 rebounds and 3.3 blocks while shooting 56.9 percent from the field.

An impeccable rebounding team, the Explorers lead the A-10 in rebounding margin at +6.4 but may be missing two key players for Saturday’s matchup. Senior guard Kimmani Barrett was averaging 13.3 points per game before missing the last three games with a sprained right foot and Ruben Guillandeaux, who led La Salle with 14 points in the last matchup with Charlotte, is out indefinitely with a stress fracture in his right foot.

Charlotte will face a tough task Saturday in containing La Salle’s Rodney Green. The senior guard ranks third in the A-10 and second in the Big 5 in scoring with 17.9 points per game and has eight 20-point games to lead the A-10. Green also ranks second in conference assists (4.2 ), third in minutes (37.1) and is also the active conference scoring leader. Bigger than most point guards, Green’s six-foot-five-inch, 210 pound frame allows him to make strong drives to the cup and still get his shot up and in.

Also winners of two straight, the 49ers come into this one on a bit of a high. Charlotte defeated St. Louis on a Dijuan Harris jumper in overtime on Sunday and is coming off their first conference road-win in nearly two years against Richmond on Wednesday.

Charlotte’s talented frontcourt tandem of Shamari Spears and Chris Braswell has had a stellar season thus far and had another standout game against Richmond. Spears scored 20 points for his sixth 20-plus point game this season and has scored in double-figures in all but two games. Braswell, an A-10 Rookie of the Year candidate, turned in a solid effort of his own. The Hargrave Military Academy product scored nine second-half points to lead the Charlotte charge and pulled down 10 rebounds in the winning effort.

The Niners’ frontcourt will have their hands full with Murray and La Salle though. The Explorers have the third tallest team in the country with an average height of 6-7, trailing only Florida State (6-7.2) and North Carolina (6-7.1) and is fourth in the A-10 in blocks per game (5.1).

If the 49ers can get another crucial road win Saturday, it will make the Wednesday night showdown at Halton Arena with #19 Temple even bigger.

My 5 Things to Take From Wednesday Night's Win

Niners are much improved on the road: Charlotte went 2-14 on the road last season, an abysmal record. This season though, Charlotte has two key road wins over top 50 RPI teams in Louisville and Richmond and have also recorded good wins over Yale and Hofstra.

Charlotte buckled down on Kevin Anderson: The Niners held Richmond senior Kevin Anderson to only 10 points, nearly eight below his season average. Last time the teams played at Halton Arena, Anderson hit the game-winning layup on senior day.

Charlotte can still be effective from outside: The 49ers made 8-of-15 threes Wednesday night. Eight more than they made Sunday against St. Louis. This was in large part because Charlotte was patient on the offensive end and took high-percentage shots. They were also well balanced. Derrio Green had three, Dijuan Harris two, Javarris Barnett two and Gokhan Sirin had one.

Charlotte's bigs can play with anyone in the A-10: Shamari Spears and Chris Braswell showed last night that they can compete down low with anyone in the conference. Spears scored 20 points and grabbed five boards and while Braswell had a quiet first half, he came alive in the second. The freshman star scored nine points in the second half to go along with 10 boards, right at his average.

Has Javarris Barnett's time finally come around? With the unfortunate season-ending injury to senior RaShad Coleman, redshirt sophomore Javarris Barnett saw improved minutes. Barnett recorded his first career double-double with 10 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks in just 21 minutes of playing time.

Niners hand Richmond first home loss

Three nights earlier against Saint Louis, the Charlotte 49ers (13-5; 3-1 A-10) didn’t hit a three for the first time since the 1987-88 season, a streak of 669 games. Wednesday night against Richmond, the Niners knocked down 8-of-15 3-pointers and used a ball control offense to beat the Spiders for the first time since the 2006-07 season, 71-59.

The loss was the first of the season at home for Richmond (14-6; 3-2 A-10) and Charlotte’s first conference road win in more than a year after going 0-8 last season. Shamari Spears led Charlotte in the scoring department again with 20 points and five rebounds; his sixth 20+ point game this season. Derrio Green added 13 important points for the Niners and Javarris Barnett came off the bench to record his first double-double of the season with 10 points and 11 rebounds.

Charlotte got off to a bit of a slow start again, with Richmond jumping out to an 11-4 lead just six minutes into the game, capped off by a Justin Harper dunk. The Niners counter-punched with a 6-1 run of their own over the next two minutes to pull to within 12-11 with just over 12 minutes remaining.

Richmond pulled out to another lead when Ryan Butler nailed a three to make the score 27-20 with 6:32 remaining. That’s when Charlotte went on one of their patented runs. The Niners got buckets from five different players over the next 6:32 to go on a 12-0 run and end the half with the lead, 32-27.

Richmond came out firing in the second half and took the lead on a pair of David Gonzalves 3-pointers 45-41 with 12:44 remaining. Charlotte countered with a blow that would virtually put the Spiders away though. The Niners ran off 11 straight points, six of which came on Green 3-pointers and took the lead, 52-45.

Charlotte used stifling defense for the remainder of the game and held the Spiders to just one field goal over a 10:46 span to put the game away. Charlotte knocked down 9-of-10 free throws over the final 1:20 to secure the win and get their first win over Richmond in four tries.

A big reason why Charlotte was able to secure this important road victory was their ball-control offense. It was perhaps the most patient game the 49ers have played all season. The Niners worked the clock down on virtually every possession with the guard tandem of Green and Dijuan Harris and took high-percentage shots; getting the ball inside to Spears and getting to the foul line early and often.

Charlotte also outrebounded the Spiders 38-28 and dished out five more assists; Justin Harper had a game-high 24 points for Richmond in 36 minutes.
The 49ers return to the hardwood Saturday afternoon at La Salle.

Game Notes: Richmond center Dan Geriot was frustrated all night long, scoring just two points on 0-of-4 shooting. At one point in the second half, Geriot received a technical foul after throwing the ball in frustration at 49er freshman Chris Braswell…..The win for Charlotte was the first over a Top 50 RPI team (31)….Junior Charlotte forward An’Juan Wilderness played the opening three minutes and did not return.

Coleman out for remainder of season

Charlotte 49ers senior forward RaShad Coleman will miss the remainder of the 2009-10 season after suffering an avulsion fracture of the patella from the base of his left kneecap during Sunday's win over St. Louis. The injury will require season-ending surgery. Coleman came down hard after converting a driving layup in overtime to give the Niners a five-point lead. Coleman was averaging 3.9 points and 2.6 rebounds in 14.4 minutes of play this season.

Clutch shot leads Charlotte past St. Louis, 63-61

With just under 10 seconds left in overtime, Charlotte 49ers senior point guard DiJuan Harris brought the ball upcourt and was having déjà vu. Just like the first time, he stepped up and made the shot when the 49ers needed it most.

“Well um, I actually had hit that same shot before the half ended,” Harris said of his game-winning jumper. “Time was winding down and coach was like ‘make a play.’ At the worst I knew it was going into double-overtime. So I found a sweet spot on the floor, got there like I did before the end of the half, he backed up and I knocked the shot in.”

Harris scored only seven points in the game, but four of them came at crunch time when it counted most. Harris gave the 49ers a 26-25 lead at the end of the first half when he crossed-over Kwamain Mitchell and knocked down a foul-line jumper. In overtime, it was a mirror image. Harris dribbled inside the arc, used his patented crossover move to create space from Mitchell and buried the game-winner. After the Billikens’ half-court heave missed, Harris jumped over press row, celebrating the 63-61 victory.

It was ironic that in a game where Charlotte lived by points in the paint, a jumper was the deciding factor. Coming in as a top 10 defensive team nationally, the Billikens held Charlotte without a 3-pointer for the first time since 1989, a streak of 630 games.

The game was a series of ups and downs for Charlotte (12-4; 2-1), who moved to 7-1 at Halton Arena this season. The 49ers started the game on a 12-2 run, capped by Derrio Green’s impressive 3-point play in which he knocked in a one-handed shot from the right side while being fouled.

The Billikens (11-6; 2-1) couldn’t stay with the 49ers early, but after Green’s 3-point play, scored seven straight points to get right back into the game. 49er’s head coach Bobby Lutz has an unspoken rule; if one of his players picks up two fouls early in the first half, he’ll ride the pine for the remaining minutes of the half. This was the case for Charlotte freshman Chris Braswell, who picked up his second foul with just over 10 minutes remaining. With Braswell on the bench, the Billikens took advantage and eventually took the lead late in the first half on a 3-pointer from Cody Ellis.

In the second half, the Niners once again jumped out to an early lead. And once again, the Billikens fought right back. Charlotte pushed their lead to as many as eight at 51-43 when Harris knocked down a pair of free throws. But the Billikens had a counter-punch, answering with an 8-0 run to tie the game at 51. After one free throw for both teams, the score was tied at 52 and after An’Juan Wilderness missed a driving layup with one second remaining, the game was headed to overtime.

In overtime, Charlotte jumped out to an early lead and led 61-56 with just over one minute remaining. After a dunk by the Billikens’ Jon Smith, Willie Reed went to the foul line with a chance to cut the score to one. After Reed clanked off both free throws, the long rebound went to Kyle Cassity, who knocked down the three with 17 seconds remaining, tying the score.

Lutz opted not to call timeout and allowed Harris made the clutch shot.
“Big players step up in big-time moments,” Harris said afterwards. “Me being the leader of the UNC-Charlotte basketball team, whether I made it or missed it, I was willing to take the shot to end the game.”

Charlotte was paced by junior Shamari Spears, who notched his first double-double as a 49er with 16 points and 13 rebounds. Braswell also scored 16 points for Charlotte, who relied on the freshman sensation to score valuable points in the paint.

“All week in practice coach has been stressing to me and Braswell that if teams are going to focus on stopping us from scoring we have to do other little things,” Spears said of the effort from the bigs. “Just doing other things to get our teammates involved, like crashing the boards the way we did tonight.”

St. Louis, who failed to move to 3-0 in conference play since the 1989-90 season was led by Jon Smith (15 points, eight rebounds).

The Niners will try to get their first A-10 road win this week as they travel to Richmond on Wednesday evening and La Salle on Saturday afternoon.

Game Notes: Charlotte senior RaShad Coleman injured the patella tendon in his left knee on a driving layup in overtime, his status is unknown……..Charlotte’s bench was outscored 44-6………the 49ers didn’t record a 3-pointer for the first time since 1989………the 49ers outrebounded the Billikens45-39……49ers head coach Bobby Lutz went shoeless on the sidelines in support of the Samaritin’s Feet campaign.

49ers welcome Baby Billikens to Halton Arena

The Charlotte 49ers (11-5, 1-1) welcome in a young Saint Louis team to Halton Arena Sunday afternoon at 4:00 p.m. The Billikens (11-5; 2-0) are looking to start 3-0 in conference play for the first time since the 1989-90 season. The game will air nationally on CBS College Sports with Tom McCarthy and Steve Lappas.

Kwamain Mitchell led Saint Louis with 19 points while Kyle Cassity added 15 as Saint Louis knocked off Duquesne 79-75 on Wednesday evening. Mitchell, ranked seventh in the A-10 in scoring, averages 16.2 points per game and has a team high of 43 assists and 26 steals.

In his third campaign with the Billikens, head coach Rick Majerus boasts a 45-34 overall record and is leading Saint Louis to one of their best starts in recent seasons. Majerus sports a 467-181 overall record in his 22-year coaching career and has taken 11 teams to the NCAA Tournament and four to the NIT.

As of last week, the Billikens boasted the ninth-ranked scoring defense in the nation at 57.4 points per game and with Majerus at the helm, are 29-4 when holding their opponents to 60 points or less. Saint Louis finished last season with the third-best three-point scoring defense nationally at 28.2 percent. This season, teams aren’t faring much better. Opponents are shooting just 26.5 percent from behind the arc which ranks the Billikens seventh nationally.

Saint Louis is having a surprisingly good season considering their youth. The Billikens, by two different measures are the youngest team in the country with just one upperclassman and 91.7 percent of their roster being underclassmen.

Although Charlotte has struggled scoring the ball lately, they are still averaging 75.6 points per game and are shooting 42.6 percent from the field. The Niners are much improved from the foul-line this season as they are shooting a league-best 73.6 percent. In each of the three seasons in which the 49ers averaged more than 75 points per game, they have made the NCAA Tournament.

The 49ers raced out to a 9-1 start this season but have since lost four of six games. Three of the four losses have come on the road against Top 100 RPI teams and the fourth loss came at home to #20 Georgia Tech, Charlotte’s lone home loss of the season. Overall, the Niners are 6-1 at home and recently posted their first A-10 victory of the season against a scrappy St. Bonaventure squad.

The 49ers have already matched their win-total for the 2008-09 season (11). Nine of Charlotte’s 11 wins have come by double-digits; the most since the 49ers won 12 games by double-digits during the 2004-05 season.

To win this game against a stingy Saint Louis defense, the 49ers will have to break out of their scoring slump. Since the win against Gardner-Webb, Charlotte has broken the 70-point plateau only three times and are just 3-4 in those games.

The deciding factor in this game might be the home floor for the 49ers. Charlotte is 6-1 at home and is outscoring opponents by an average of 14.8 points per game. They have also averaged 81.4 points per game and are shooting .443 from the field. To knock off the Baby Billikens, it’s plain and simple, Charlotte must score the ball better.

49ers drop road contest to Xavier

The road-weary Charlotte 49ers dropped another road contest Wednesday night, losing to Xavier at Cintas Center, 86-74. With another poor shooting performance, the 49ers got behind early and were never able to work their way back into the game.

Jordan Crawford turned in another solid performance with 18 points and five rebounds for Xavier (11-5; 3-0), who won for the seventh time in eight tries against Charlotte (11-5; 1-1). The Musketeers also continued their home conference winning streak to an impressive 25 games, they haven't lost at Cintas Center since the end of the 2005-06 season.

Before fouling out with 8:53 remaining, Xavier's Dante Jackson scored a season-high 14 points and six assists, Jason love also turned in 10 points for the Musketeers.

An'Juan Wilderness led Charlotte with 15 points on 7-of-9 shooting in 27 minutes of action. The Niners also got double-figure scoring nights from Chris Braswell (14), Derrio Green (10) and Shamari Spears (13).

Charlotte struggled from the field early and often and could never get a rhythm going against the hot-shooting Musketeers. The Niners shot a lowly 32 percent from the field in the first half and went just 7-of-15 from the foul line, uncharacteristically.

Continuing a recent trend, the Niners allowed Xavier to go on a big, early run and get out in front. After Charlotte took the lead 5-4 at the 17:30 mark, Dante Jackson scored six points as part of a 10-0 Xavier run that put the Niners behind the 8-ball early.

The 49ers never got closer than six and trailed by 16 at the break, going a season-low 1-13 from behind the arc. While the 49ers struggled with shooting during the first half, the Musketeers flourished. Xavier knocked down 54 percent of their shots, including 12-of-16 from the foul line.

Xavier extended their lead to as much as 21 in the second half and were never really threatened by the Niners. Charlotte did mount a charge and got to within 10 of Xavier with just over six minutes remaining. After Charlotte closed to within 10, Xavier scored 10 of the next 14 points to put the game away.

Charlotte outscored Xavier 46-42 in the second half, shooting 51 percent from the field as well as making all nine free throws to mount the charge. But the 49ers struggles from behind the three-point arc got even worse as the 49ers shot a season-low 2-22 from 3-point range.

Charlotte won the battle on the glass 35-29, getting five-rebound efforts from both Phil Jones and Shamari Spears.

The Niners return home on Sunday to take on Rick Majerus and a young St. Louis team.

Games Notes: Charlotte takes on Xavier

After holding on for a hard-fought 57-54 win over visiting St. Bonaventure on Saturday night, the Charlotte 49ers men’s basketball team travels to Cincinnati, Oh. to take on Jordan Crawford and the Xavier Musketeers Wednesday night (7:30 p.m. 1660 AM with Matt Sweirad.) Crawford, who is probably most well-known for dunking over LeBron James in a summer camp, is leading the Musketeers in scoring at 19.4 points and 4.9 rebounds per game.

Also having a strong season for the Musketeers is sophomore Terrell Holloway. The Hempstead N.Y. shooting guard is averaging 10.4 points per game and is Xavier’s leading free-throw shooter at 90 percent. At 10-5, Xavier is only three losses away from equaling their 2008-09 season total, but are still protecting their home court like always. The Musketeers are 7-0 at home but are just 2-5 away from Cintas Center.

After longtime head coach Sean Miller left to take over for Lute Olson at Arizona, Chris Mack stepped up to take over the Musketeers. Mack, who turned 40 years old on Dec. 30th, is the 17th head coach in Xavier’s program history and recorded his first A-10 victory against La Salle on Jan. 7. He was also a two-time team captain as a player for Xavier and has spent the previous five seasons as an assistant under Miller.

Xavier and Charlotte split two meetings in 2008-09. B.J. Raymond scored 28 points to lead Xavier to a 69-47 home win over Charlotte on Jan. 28th. In February, Charlotte got 16 points from junior Ian Andersen on their way to a 65-60 home win over the 15th-ranked Musketeers.

This game will feature two of the top teams in the A-10 as well as two teams coming off conference wins. Jason love scored 19 points and pulled down 13 rebounds while Crawford scored 18 and grabbed eight rebounds to help Xavier overcome an 11-point halftime deficit to beat George Washington 76-69 Sunday afternoon. Charlotte got their first conference win the night before when they held on against St. Bonaventure, 57-54.

To get a rare win over Xavier at Cintas Center, Charlotte will need to start taking more high percentage shots and not committing as many turnovers. Charlotte scored more than 80 points in seven of their first nine games of the season, going 8-1 but since the Gardner-Webb game, the 49ers have broken the 80-point plateau just once and are averaging just 65 points per game. Charlotte is shooting just under 43 percent from the field this season and just 31.6 percent from behind the arc.

For the Niners, it’s pretty simple. Get high-percentage shots inside with Chris Braswell and Shamari Spears and slow down Xavier’s high-octane offense led by Crawford. If Charlotte can feed the ball into the paint to Spears and Braswell, it should open up the outside and allow Derrio Green to have a big night. With the departure of Shamarr Bowden, expect to see more playing time from freshman Gokhan Sirin.

This is a very important game for Charlotte. The Niners play three of their first five conference games on the road and a win at Cintas Center against Xavier would do a lot for the players’ confidence and would look good on Charlotte’s NCAA Tournament resume’.

Women's basketball faces big road test

Following Charlotte’s home game against La Salle, the lady 49ers will travel on the road for two games against conference foes George Washington and Fordham.

These games will be crucial for the 49ers (7-8), as they boast an unimpressive 1-5 record away from the friendly confines of Halton Arena. They are 5-1 in defense of their home court.

The 49ers begin their two-game road stint with a 2:00 p.m. bout with George Washington on Saturday afternoon. This game presents a huge opportunity to pick up a win for Charlotte. As of Jan. 12, the Colonials have just a 3-10 record and are just 2-4 at home, they have also lost 10 of their last 11 games overall.

The Niners have also picked up their road play in recent games. Charlotte’s last two road-losses have come by a combined four points. The 49ers lost 56-54 at Virginia Tech back in December and recently lost their A-10 opener at Duquesne in double-overtime, 70-68.

This game will feature two teams that are looking to get back on track and make a move up the conference standings as both teams are coming off opening conference losses. As mentioned earlier, the Niners lost their opener at Duquesne, 70-68 in double-overtime while George Washington lost it’s first ever game to Dayton, 59-55.

Shannon McCallum leads a balanced Charlotte attack in scoring, averaging 11.1 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. Aysha Jones isn’t far behind at 10.1 points and 4.4 rebounds and Ashley Spriggs rounds out the top three at 9.9 points and 6.1 rebounds per game.

In all, the Niners have five different players averaging more than eight points per game and are outrebounding their opponents 43.1 to 39.7.

George Washington comes in with a similar offensive attack. The Colonials are led by Tiana Myers, who averages 11.5 points and is shooting 40 percent from the field. The Colonials, much like Charlotte have six players that average more than seven points per game but are averaging only 36.0 rebounds per game.

This game should definitely be a tight one. The Colonials’ last six games have been decided by 10 points or less and they are holding opponents to just 68.4 points per game. If Charlotte can get a big game from Jones and McCallum, they should be able to pick up a much-needed road win.

Following Saturday’s game with George Washington, the 49ers will stay on the road to take on Fordham at 12:00 p.m., Wednesday afternoon. This game, much like the George Washington game, should present another opportunity for the Niners to pick up another road win.
The 6-10 Rams are very similar to the 49ers. They average 60.7 points per game compared to Charlotte’s 60.8 and hold their opponents to 62.1 points per game compared to Charlotte’s 60.8.

Unlike George Washington, Fordham is more of a one-woman show. Randall Hurst leads the Rams in scoring with 15.8 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. Following Hurst are Katie Vican (11.1 points) and Becky Peters (10.9 points). A key to this game might be the Niners’ ability to take advantage of the Rams on the glass. Charlotte averages 43.1 rebounds per game compared to Fordham’s 35.3.

Fordham will certainly be a stiffer test for Charlotte than George Washington, but if the 49ers can win the rebounding battle, they should be able to pick up their third road win of the year.

On another high note for the 49ers, freshman Jaquaria Forney was named A-10 Rookie of the Week for her efforts against Duquesne last week. The 5-foot-9 product out of Butler High averaged 8.5 points, 9.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists. She also shot 44 percent from the field. Forney also recorded her first career double-double, (14 points, 14 rebounds) in Charlotte’s A-10 opener against Duquesne—a 70-68 double-overtime loss.

Niners lose Bowden; receive commitment from Davis

Charlotte 49ers head coach Bobby Lutz has announced that red-shirt freshman Shamarr Bowden will transfer out of Charlotte's program. Bowden is still undecided as to where he will transfer and will remain at the university throughout the spring semester while evaluating his options. He did not practice with the team on Monday.

“While I am unhappy with Shamarr’s decision not to play, I respect the decision,” said Charlotte coach Bobby Lutz. “We wish him the best.”

The freshman has played in 15 games this season after missing the entire 2008-09 season due to a fractured kneecap. Bowden is averaging 5.7 points in 10.2 minutes of game time while shooting .333 from the field and .316 from behind the arc.

“I like the coaching staff and as for my teammates, I wish them the best of luck,” Bowden said. “I still support them and hope they make the NCAA Tournament. “As far as my career goes, I don’t feel like I have the best basketball opportunity by staying.”

He scored in double-figures on three occasions including a career-best 21 points in Charlotte's season-opener against UNC Asheville. An A-10 preseason all-Rookie choice, Bowden was named A-10 Rookie of the Week for his efforts against UNC-A.

Bowden's imminent departure wasn't the only news the 49ers basketball department received Monday night though. The 49ers also received a commitment from Jarvis Davis, a 6-1, 175-pound product out of Hargrave Military Academy.

Originally a commitment to Louisiana Tech, the senior point guard decided to spend a year at Hargrave where he is averaging 12.0 points and five assists per contest. Some aspects that really stand out for Davis is his ability to drive strong to the hole and still get his shot up and in, he is excellent in transition as well.

Current 49ers freshman Chris Braswell spent two years at Hargrave and has made a great impact on the 49ers this season. Davis also received offers from Nebraska, Texas Tech and Marshall.

Game Notes: Charlotte @ Xavier

After holding on for a hard-fought 57-54 win over visiting St. Bonaventure on Saturday night, the Charlotte 49ers men’s basketball team travels to Cincinnati, Ohio to take on Jordan Crawford and the Xavier Musketeers Wednesday night (7:30 p.m. 1660 AM with Matt Sweirad.) Crawford, who is probably most well-known for dunking over LeBron James in a summer camp, is leading the Musketeers in scoring at 19.4 points and 4.9 rebounds per game.

Also having a strong season for the Musketeers is sophomore Terrell Holloway. The Hempstead N.Y. shooting guard is averaging 10.4 points per game and is Xavier’s leading free-throw shooter at 90 percent. At 10-5, Xavier is only three losses away from equaling their 2008-09 season total, but are still protecting their home court like always. The Musketeers are 7-0 at home but are just 2-5 away from Cintas Center.

After longtime head coach Sean Miller left to take over for Lute Olson at Arizona, Chris Mack stepped up to take over the Musketeers. Mack, who turned 40 years old on Dec. 30th, is the 17th head coach in Xavier’s program history and recorded his first A-10 victory against La Salle on Jan. 7. He was also a two-time team captain as a player for Xavier and has spent the previous five seasons as an assistant under Miller.

Xavier and Charlotte split two meetings in 2008-09. B.J. Raymond scored 28 points to lead Xavier to a 69-47 home win over Charlotte on Jan. 28th. In February, Charlotte got 16 points from junior Ian Andersen on their way to a 65-60 home win over the 15th-ranked Musketeers.

This game will feature two of the top teams in the A-10 as well as two teams coming off conference wins. Jason love scored 19 points and pulled down 13 rebounds while Crawford scored 18 and grabbed eight rebounds to help Xavier overcome an 11-point halftime deficit to beat George Washington 76-69 Sunday afternoon. Charlotte got their first conference win the night before when they held on against St. Bonaventure, 57-54.

To get a rare win over Xavier at Cintas Center, Charlotte will need to start taking more high percentage shots and not committing as many turnovers. Charlotte scored more than 80 points in seven of their first nine games of the season, going 8-1 but since the Gardner-Webb game, the 49ers have broken the 80-point plateau just once and are averaging just 65 points per game. Charlotte is shooting just under 43 percent from the field this season and just 31.6 percent from behind the arc.

For the Niners, it’s pretty simple. Get high-percentage shots inside with Chris Braswell and Shamari Spears and slow down Xavier’s high-octane offense led by Crawford. If Charlotte can feed the ball into the paint to Spears and Braswell, it should open up the outside and allow Derrio Green to have a big night. With the departure of Shamarr Bowden, expect to see more playing time from freshman Gokhan Sirin.

This is a very important game for Charlotte. The Niners play three of their first five conference games on the road and a win at Cintas Center against Xavier would do a lot for the players’ confidence and would look good on Charlotte’s NCAA Tournament resume’.

Suspensions present huge opportunity for Charlotte

The Charlotte 49ers (10-3) travel to Knoxville to take on the No.16/No.15 Volunteers (10-2) for their final non-conference game of the 2009-10 schedule tonight at 7 p.m. The Vols will be the fourth ranked non-conference team the Niners have faced so far this season. Charlotte has a 1-2 record against those teams with a win on the road against Louisville and losses to ACC powers Duke and Georgia Tech.

With a win tonight, the 49ers will match their win total for the entire 2008-09 season (11). Charlotte hasn't gotten off to a start like this since the 2004-05 season when they started 14-3 on their way to the NCAA Tournament. Nine of the Niners' 10 victories have been by double-digits.

The all-time series between Charlotte and Tennessee is tied a four with the teams meeting only one time over the last 10 years. Charlotte chalked up a 70-63 win over the Vols in the first round of the 2001 NCAA Tournament before falling to Illinois in the second round. The Niners are just 1-4 all-time at Rocky Top but have won the last three meetings and four of the last five. The Volunteers have won six of their last seven games and are undefeated at home this season.

Even with Charlotte's 10-3 record and the Vols' 10-2 record, both teams enter this game on on a little bit of a slide. After starting 9-1, Charlotte has struggled over the last three games. The Niners were dominated in an embarrassing 81-48 road-loss to Old Dominion and are coming off a gut-wrenching 76-67 home loss to #20 Georgia Tech on Saturday. The Niners shot 37.3 percent against Tech--the third time in four games they have been held under 40-percent shooting. They were also outrebounded 41-31. Derrio Green seems to be hitting his stride. The sophomore guard has established career-highs in the last two games with 23 and 31 points, respectively. Green may experience some trouble with Tennessee's stout defense though, as the Vols have held three of their last five opponents to fewer than 60 points.

Ending the calender year on a high note, the Volunteers defeated cross-state rival Memphis 66-59 last Thursday for it's signature win of the season. One day after the big win, the Vols were hit with the news that four players had been arrested.

Second-leading scorer Tyler Smith, sophomore guard Cameron Tatum, junior center Brian Williams and junior guard Melvin Goins were arrested on misdemeanor drug, gun and alcohol charges stemming from a traffic stop. The suspensions will leave a big hole in UT's offense against Charlotte.

The suspensions leave the Vols with just six scholarship players and without one of the team's most potent offensive threats in Smith. Smith averages a team-high 26.8 minutes per game to go along with 11.7 points and 4.7 rebounds. Smith also leads the Vols with 44 assists on the season.

Tatum has started six games and is averaging 8.7 points in 19.6 minutes. Goins averages 6.1 points and 2.2 rebounds, while Williams averages 16.7 minutes with 5.6 points and 5.4 rebounds.

To have a chance tonight against the Volunteers, the 49ers need to limit the turnovers and exploit Tennessee inside. Shamari Spears is coming off his worst performance of the season when he didn't score at all in the first half against Georgia Tech. The 49ers also committed 12 turnovers in the first half after averaging only 12 per game.

Spears is an established inside presence and the with the suspension to the Tennessee players, the Niners will have an advantage in the post. Look for Spears and freshman sensation Chris Braswell to try and get high-percentage shots and get to the line as much as possible. Freshman Renaldo Woolridge is expected to start for the first time this season alongside center Wayne Chism for Tennessee to fill the gap left by the suspended players.

It would have been great to knock off 20th-ranked Georgia Tech at home on Saturday, but Charlotte couldn't close the deal. This game presents a huge opportunity for the Niners and it will be the last chance to knock off a ranked, non-conference opponent.

Revised Criteria for 2010 Budweiser Shootout

NASCAR recently announced that there will be some revised criteria to the 2010 Budweiser Shootout at Daytona to provide a stronger field highlighted by last year's top performers and a collection of previous winners at NASCAR's most storied track.

The season-opening event will launch Speedweeks at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday, Feb. 6 with the green flag set to drop at 8:10 p.m.

The new criteria is based on the following qualifications. Eligibility is based on the driver having competed in the Sprint Cup Series over the last two seasons.

1. The 12 drivers that qualified for the 2009 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup
2. Past NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champions.
3. Past Budweiser Shootout champions.
4. Past Daytona 500 and Coke Zero 400 champions.
5. The reigning Reybestos Rookie of the year.

The race distance will remain 75 laps (187.5 miles) consisting of two segments--25 and 50 laps. Both green and yellow-flag laps will count. Between segments there will be a 10-minute pit stop, allowing crews time for tire changes, adding fuel and making chassis adjustments. Crews will be allowed to work on cars and make adjustments they would normally be able to make under a pit stop. All work must be performed on pit road or in the garage.

Starting positions will be determined by a blind-draw at the Budweiser Shootout Draw Party on Thursday, Feb. 4 on the SPEED stage in the Midway, outside Turn 4.

Green, Braswell earn A-10 Honors

49ers sophomore shooting guard Derrio Green was named A-10 co-Player of the Week for this week while Charlotte freshman Chris Braswell was named A-10 co-Rookie of the week.

Green averaged 27 points in two games this week, scoring 23 points in Charlotte's win over Mercer and a career-high 31 in bring Charlotte back from a huge second-half deficit against # 20 Georgia Tech. Green buried 10 3-pointers on the week, shooting .516 from the field and .455 from behind the arc. Against Mercer, Green added a career-high five rebounds, five assists and three steals.

Braswell, one of the top freshman in the A-10 this season, averaged 11.0 points and 12.5 rebounds this week in Charlotte's two games to earn his second Rookie of the Week award of the season. Braswell netted his fifth double-double of the season in the home win against Mercer with 14 points and 14 rebounds and also added eight points and 11 boards against Georgia Tech.

Green joins Shamari Spears as the only players to win the award for Charlotte this season, Spears won the award Nov. 28. The Rookie of the Week for Braswell marks the third time a 49er has won the award this season. Shamarr Bowden won the award for Nov. 14 and Braswell earned the honor for Dec. 5.

Charlotte travels to Tennessee to take on the Volunteers Wednesday night.

Lawal, Georgia Tech Outlast Charlotte 76-67

D’Andre Bell’s three-pointer bounced off the front rim, went straight up in the air, and dropped in. The crucial three-pointer gave Georgia Tech a 68-66 lead they wouldn’t relinquish and an 11-2 start, the best for the Yellow Jackets since the 2004-05 season.

“The opportunity presented itself, the whole game, I was taking good shots,” Bell said of his clutch shot. “I just stayed confident. My team kept urging me on to shoot. I just stayed confident and I got it done.”

Bell’s three-pointer came just after Charlotte senior DiJuan Harris had given the 49ers their first lead since the opening minutes with a three of his own. Georgia Tech controlled the opening minutes of the second half and built their lead to as much as 15 at one point.

Derrio Green wouldn’t let the Yellow Jackets pull away though. The sophomore guard scored 18 of his game-high 31 points in the second half and ignited the Halton Arena crowd with four second-half three-pointers. The 31 points by Green was the most by a 49er since last season and also a career high.

“They (Georgia Tech) were just giving me open shots,” Green said of his second-half flurry. “DiJuan kept penetrating for me and getting me open and I was just knocking them down. I was getting wide-open shots.”

For Charlotte, the first half was filled with turnovers and sloppy passes. The Niners knocked down two early three’s to go up 6-2, but Tech went on a quick 17-2 run to open up their lead. Charlotte committed 12 turnovers in the first half alone, leading to 17 Georgia Tech points, 10 on the fast break.

Even with the sloppy play in the opening stanza, the Niners were still within shouting distance at the half, down just 37-29.

“Our inability to take care of the basketball in the first half was huge,” 49ers coach Bobby Lutz said following the loss. “They didn’t really score that much in the first half if you take away the turnovers and the dunks and layups. But they’re a good team and they took advantage of that.”

When Gani Lawal knocked down two free throws at the 8:02 mark of the second half, Georgia Tech had built their lead to 12 at 61-49. That’s when things started to get crazy. Green nailed a three off the left wing while center Phil Jones was being fouled setting a pick. Jones missed the front end of the one-and-one but An’Juan Wilderness grabbed the offensive rebound and found Green for another trey off the left wing. Just like that, Tech’s 12-point lead had been cut in half in less than five seconds.

Another Green bucket and a reverse layup by Wilderness completed the 10-0 run and Charlotte had cut the lead to two, 61-59. A pair of Harris free-throws tied the score at 63 and after a pair of Lawal free throws, Harris gave Charlotte their first lead of the second half with his third trey of the game.

After the Bell three-pointer, Green airballed a three of his own at the other end. Lawal added two more free throws at the other end to make it a four-point game, 70-66. Tech added six more foul shots in the final 27 seconds to ice Charlotte and give the 49ers their first home loss of the season, 76-67.

Lawal led Georgia Tech with 29 points and 10 rebounds. He also added a crucial, late-game block on Charlotte forward Chris Braswell when Tech was nursing a two-point lead. Lawal, a potential NBA lottery pick next season, knocked down 17-of-20 fouls shots on the night. Georgia tech came in shooting just 66 percent from the foul line, but on Saturday night, the Jackets were nearly perfect, going 29-of-32 from the stripe.

Charlotte held their own on the boards and were only outrebounded 41-31. Tech’s frontline combination of Lawal and freshman sensation Derrick Favors have been tabbed by many as the best front court in the nation and both will likely be first-round NBA draft picks next season. Charlotte had difficulty scoring the ball inside against the powerful duo as leading scorer Shamari Spears was held to just eight points on 2-of-6 shooting from the field.

Charlotte will get back to work right away as they head to Knoxville to take on Wayne Chism and shorthanded Tennessee. Four UT players including starter Tyler Smith were arrested over the weekend and are facing misdemeanor drug, alcohol and weapons charges.

Game Observations from The Sports Fix:
The frontline duo for Tech of Lawal and Favors are sure to be first-round picks in the 2010 NBA Draft. The size and wingspan of both players was a clear advantage for Tech and played a large role in outrebounding the Niners by 10. This game was very physical and there were several hard fouls by both teams. Junior Shamari Spears was sent to the bench for several minutes after his lip was cut open by a Georgia Tech player on an offensive foul. Chasing a loose ball early in the second half, senior Charlotte point guard DiJuan Harris went flying over press row and into the first row but was not injured. In the final minute, Derrio Green pulled up lame with an apparent right foot injury, he did not return and it is undetermined as to whether he’ll play against Tennessee.

A Look Ahead: Georgia Tech

Off to it's best start in five years, 20th-ranked Georgia Tech (10-2) comes to Halton Arena for one of it's last non-conference game of the regular season Saturdyy night at 7:00 p.m.(FOX SportSouth TV: Mike Hogewood, Mike Gminski; WFNZ Radio, 610 AM - Matt Swierad, Charlie Frederick). The Yellow Jackets have won their last two games against Kennesaw State and Winston-Salem State since dropping their ACC opener against Florida State on Dec. 20. The Jackets have played only one "true" road game this season, a 31-point win at Chattanooga.

Georgia Tech and Charlotte are following similar paths this season. The Niners are off to their best start since the 2004-05 season at 10-2, Georgia Tech also got off to a fast start that season, coming out of the gates at 11-2 before dropping three straight games.

Georgia Tech has had trouble scoring the ball lately, averaging just over 70 points over the last four games. While the Jackets have struggled with scoring, their scoring defense is among the best in the land, holding their last seven opponents to 56.4 points per game. The Yellow Jackets' last seven opponents have been held to just 33 percent shooting and have turned the ball over at least 17 times per game. Charlotte has struggled shooting the ball lately, shooting just 38 and 33 percent from the field in recent road games against Winthrop and Old Dominion, respectively.

Sophomore Jackets guard Iman Shumpert will make his return after missing the last six games due to a damaged meniscus in his right knee.

This game will be a battle of the bigs. Charlotte's front line of Shamari Spears and Chris Braswell are looking to be one of the top tandems in the A-10, while Tech's Gani Lawal and Derrick Favors have been tabbed as the best front line in the ACC. Lawal, a 6-9 junior and Favors, a 6-10 freshman are Tech's top two scorers and rebounders and are ranked in the top five in the ACC in rebound average and field goal percentage. Spears, a somewhat undersized 6-6 junior is Charlotte's leading scorer with 17.8 points per game and is averaging five rebounds. Braswell, the A-10's top freshman forward has five double-doubles this season and is averaging 8.9 points and 8.8 rebounds per game.

Charlotte has struggled scoring the ball lately and will have to play better if they want a chance to knock off yet another nationally-ranked team. Charlotte's key to victory is to maintain a balanced attack, much like the effort they put together on the road against Louisville.