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.
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