Team Huddle
Box Score
Team Huddle
DAVIDSON, N.C. – After trailing by 14 points late, Charlotte Men's Basketball (4-4) staged a furious comeback to make it a two-point game with 55 seconds left before Davidson pulled out the 75-71 win over the visiting 49ers on Tuesday (Dec. 10) evening.
The Wildcats (7-2), hosting the Niners at John M. Belk Arena, retained the Battle for the Hornets' Nest Trophy.
"The fight that we showed with six, seven minutes to go and we're down 14, it was do-or-die time, and the guys really dug deep and pushed hard through that," said Charlotte Head Coach . "I said to them with about a minute and a half to go, 'I am extremely proud of their fight.'"
Charlotte used a 13-3 run to whittle the deficit from 68-56 to a two-point, 71-69, game. The Wildcats and the Niners traded baskets in the final minute before Davidson made one of two free throws with 16 seconds remaining for the 75-71 final score.
"I was very encouraged tonight, very disappointed that we did not get across the line, but encouraged that we showed some improvement," said Coach Fearne.
The 49ers, who led 44-41 at intermission, shot a blistering 61.5 percent (16-of-26) from the field and 46.2 percent (6-of-13) from deep in the first half before shooting 32.1 percent (9-of-28) from the field and 1-of-10 from range in the second half.
tied his career-high with 23 points on 7-of-15 shooting from the field, three-of-seven from deep, and six-of-nine from the charity stripe. finished with 16 points while making 7-of-12 field goals. pulled down a career-high and game-high seven rebounds, along with 11 points (4-7 FG, 1-2 3PT).
HOW IT HAPPENED
In the second half, Davidson went on a game-defining 15-3 run that turned a 51-49 advantage into a 66-52 lead with under seven minutes left to play. Offensively, Charlotte went cold as more than 10 minutes passed without the Niners hitting a field goal. made four free throws to help cut the Wildcats lead to 66-56 before woke up the Niners' offense with a jumper. Consecutive buckets from Reiber and Thomas whittled Davidson's lead down further, capping a 10-3 run for Charlotte. With the shot clock winding down, Thomas used a Reiber screen to create just enough space to shoot over the six-foot-ten defender and make it a 68-62 game with 3:28 left on the clock.
Thomas returned nearly 90 seconds later with a triple that made it a one-possession game with 1:54 remaining. The three, which earned Graves an assist, cut the Wildcats' lead to 70-67. The basket was preceded by a great play from Braswell IV, who followed up his own missed shot with an offensive rebound and a layup.
With 55 seconds to go, Graves made a strong drive to his left, drawing a foul, and making the tough layup to set up an and-one opportunity. His missed free throw kept the score at 71-69, and on the next offensive possession for Davidson, the Wildcats sunk the corner three to balloon their lead to 74-69 with 42 ticks remaining. An up-and-under layup from Thomas made it a three-point game before Davidson effectively put the game out of reach with a made free throw.
Graves had 18 of his 23 points in the first half, opening the game five-of-six from the field and three-of-four from deep. He scored eight of Charlotte's first 10 points, which included a pair of triples.
A 13-2 run gave Charlotte its largest lead of the game by turning a 12-11 edge into a 25-13 advantage. The run was highlighted by three consecutive three-point plays. Graves made all three free of his free throws after being fouled and then followed that up with a triple from NBA range. The Niners were not done as Reiber hit a pick-and-pop three for the 12-point lead.
Right after the back-to-back triples from Graves and Reiber, Davidson embarked on a 21-5 run that flipped the score from a Charlotte advantage to a 34-30 Wildcats lead. Consecutive baskets from Rolf stopped the Davidson run and then the 49ers retook the lead with a triple from Braswell IV that was spurred by an offensive rebound by Rolf.
STAT FACTS
For the second straight game, Graves, Braswell, Thomas, Reiber, and earned the start. Reiber filled in for , who missed his second straight game with a minor injury.
Graves, Braswell, and Thomas have started all eight games this season.
Braswell scored 13 points and added five boards. The graduate student has topped double figures in six of eight games this year.
Rolf had six points and five rebounds as a reserve.
Davidson led for more than 20 minutes while Charlotte spent more than 16 minutes in the lead.
UP NEXT
The 49ers will play consecutive road games for the first time this season when they travel to Atlanta, Ga., to play Georgia State on Saturday, Dec. 14. Tip off is slated for 2 p.m. on ESPN+.