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.
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