It was a tale of two halves for Aaron Fearne and the Charlotte 49ers, overcoming a 12-point deficit to score their first conference tournament victory in nine years and advancing to the second round of the American Athletic Conference Tournament.
Two clutch free throws from forward Giancarlo Rosado and a constricting late-game defensive effort gave Charlotte just enough to take down No. 12 seed Rice in the tournament’s opening round, 64-61, on Tuesday in Fort Worth Texas.
Fearne was pleased with his team’s ability to survive and advance, led by Nik Graves and Rosado’s combined 36 points.
Charlotte Junior guard Nik Graves. For The Observer
“It was a hard-fought playoff game. The fight that the guys showed in the second half was inspirational — it was unbelievable,” said Fearne. “The fight has been there all year. It’s been an awesome group to coach. I know that the results haven’t gone our way, but the fight that they show — that’s why we do what we do every day, so you can give yourself a chance at this time of the year.”
How it happened
After Charlotte jumped out to an early lead, the Owls clawed their way back with a monstrous half inside the painted area, outscoring Charlotte’s team total of 23 points with 28 paint points in the game’s first 20 minutes of action.
The 49ers responded with a 41-point second half, led by four in double-figures on the game — with Rosado, Graves, Kylan Blackmon, and Robert Braswell combining for 62 of Charlotte’s 64 total points.
With Graves and Rosado trading clutch buckets and free throws down the stretch, Rosado snatched what proved to be the game-sealing rebound and steal on consecutive possessions, pushing Charlotte to the second round of the AAC Tournament.
“We knew it was going to be a fight,” Rosado said after the win. “It’s playoff basketball, and it’s time to fight.”
Charlotte’s first-round victory marked their first conference tournament win since the 2015-16 season, breaking what was a nine-year skid.
“It’s obviously fantastic to win at this time of the year. I know in that time we also had some double-byes, and things like that, which is also a massive accomplishment. I’d rather be in that situation than in this one — this is a difficult challenge ahead but not an impossible one,” said Fearne. “I don’t think that that gets talked about enough. Obviously, getting a conference tournament win is massive. There’s belief. I know I’ve been talking about this for a long time, but the fight has been there.”
Next up for 49ers: FAU
With the win, Charlotte advances to the second round of the AAC Tournament, where No. 5 seed Florida Atlantic awaits. The Owls swept Charlotte in both matchups this season, winning by 11 points in Halton Arena and 12 points in Boca Raton. The Charlotte-FAU game is set to tip at 2:30 p.m. Thursday.
Fearne and the 49ers took the first step in what would be a magical run to the NCAA Tournament, winning their first of what will need to be five wins in as many days to leave Texas victorious.
But as Fearne said with a smile, crazy things happen in March.
“Crazy things happen at this time of the year, so why can’t that be us?”
Davidson wins in A-10 tourney
Reed Bailey scored a game-high 25 points and Connor Kochera added 22 to lead the Davidson Wildcats to a 69-65 win against Richmond in the opening round of the Atlantic 10 Tournament in Washington.
Davidson, the tournament’s No. 12 seed, will face fifth-seeded St. Louis — which earned a first-round bye — at 2 p.m. in Thursday’s quarterfinals. The Wildcats (17-15) and Billikens (18-13) met once during the regular season with St. Louis winning 57-56 at Davidson.
Davidson Wildcats guard Reed Bailey. Alex Martin/Journal and Courier Alex Martin/Journal and Courier / USA TODAY NETWORK
Bailey, the league’s top scorer, was named the A-10’s most improved player earlier in the week. He is the only Wildcat to receive the award. He also earned all-conference first team honors.
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