Courtesy of Charlotte49ers.com
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Senior Chris Braswell was anything but shy in his first game of the season as he notched a double-double to lead Charlotte (2-0) to a 66-53 win over Georgia Southern (0-2), Tuesday evening at Halton Arena.
“It was good to get a win at home,” Charlotte coach Alan Major said. “We had good balance with scoring and rebounding tonight. Tonight’s win was a total team effort.”
Braswell’s 21 points and 12 rebounds were a game-high and his 23rd career double-double. He was active on all parts of the court, shooting 7-for-12 from the field, and a perfect 6-for-6 from the line. After a few nervous possessions in the first half, Braswell swiftly found his comfort zone and never looked back, scoring 16 points and grabbing eight boards.
Charlotte also placed Pierria Henry in double figures in scoring. Henry finished with 13 points notching his second consecutive game scoring in double figures. Henry also grabbed six rebounds and tallied three assists.
Freshman Willie Clayton also added eight points and nine rebounds followed by E. Victor Nickerson with seven points.
Charlotte’s defense prevailed in the second half as it held the Eagles to only two points over the first nine minutes of the half. Jessie Pernell scored GSU’s first basket of the second half to chip at Charlotte’s 44-36 lead with 14:14 left.
That wouldn’t be enough for the Eagles as Charlotte continued to dominate the half. The 49ers limited Georgia Southern to just 19 points in the second half. The Niners beat the Eagles on the glass 40-19 and in points in the paint 34-20.
Braswell paced the Niners to 37-34 lead at the half. Charlotte got off to a quick 5-0 advantage in the opening minutes. Braswell came off the bench to score nine straight points to give Charlotte the 18-13 lead with 9:50 left. The 49ers took a 20-13 advantage, it’s largest of the half, with 9:28 remaining. The Eagles responded to the Niners’ attack and used a 4-0 run to tie the game 20-20 at the 7:47 mark.
Georgia Southern found its grove and controlled the following minutes to take a 31-26 advantage with under four minutes in the half. Henry’s trip to the charity stripe at 3:33 sparked a 9-0 run to give the 49ers the 35-31 lead with 1:27 left.
Georgia Southern placed three players in double figures in scoring. Eric Ferguson and Cleon Roberts led the Eagles in scoring with 11. Ferguson also grabbed ten rebounds to record a double-double. Tre Bussey tallied ten points in the loss.
Charlotte will host Lamar on Saturday, Nov. 17 at 7:30 p.m. at Halton Arena.
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