Courtesy of Charlotte49ers.com.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Behind two double-figure scorers and a dominating scoring effort in the paint, the Charlotte 49ers (11-1) defeated Radford (5-6), 68-52, in Halton Arena.
“It was good to be back in Halton Arena,” Charlotte coach Alan Major said. “I was very impressed with our play particularly in the first half. Radford was averaging seven threes a game and we limited them to two threes. It was just great to be back home.”
Pierria Henry led the 49ers with a season-high and career-high tying 14 points. Henry was 6-for-11 from the field and knocked down a pair of 3-pointers. His defensive effort yielded a game-high five steals, also tying his career-high. This was Henry’s fifth game this season recording double figures in scoring.
Willie Clayton recorded 12 points to notch his fifth double-figure game of the year. Clayton also led Charlotte with seven rebounds.
Denzel Ingram added eight points in the win. Contributing off the bench was DeMario Mayfield who also turned in eight points and E. Victor Nickerson who recorded seven.
The Niners presence was felt down low as they dominated inside and registered 50 points in the paint. Charlotte also dished out 13 assists.
Radford opened the second half scoring four consecutive fast break points off two Charlotte turnovers cutting Charlotte’s 19 point halftime lead to 38-23 with 19:24 on the clock. Then, the 49ers answered the run with baskets by Ingram and Clayton pushing their lead back to 19 points, 42-23, with 18:15 on the clock.
When Henry connected on a mid-range jump shot, the 49ers enjoyed their largest lead of the 46-25 with 16:15 on the clock.
Radford never threatened Charlotte’s lead throughout the second half and the closest the Highlanders got to the 49ers was 12 points on two occasions in the second half. Radford cut Charlotte’s lead to 62-50 with 3:13 on the clock. However, the 49ers ended the game by scoring six of the final eight points for the 68-52 win.
The Niners took a commanding 38-19 lead at halftime. Charlotte never trailed during the first half and used several runs to keep the Highlanders out of reach. Charlotte used a 17-4 run beginning at the 14:09 mark that lasted around six minutes to cruise to a 27-8 lead with 8:07 remaining in the half. During the run, Mayfield ignited Halton Arena with back-to-back highlight-reel worthy dunks to get fans on their feet. Charlotte retained the double-digit lead for the remainder of the half. The 49ers shot a blazing 56.7 percent from the field in the first half.
Radford was led by Javonte Green who scored a game-high 16 points. He also led the Highlanders in rebounds with seven. Davis finished with 11 points.
Charlotte’s defense held Radford scoreless for several minutes throughout the first half. The 49ers limited the Highlanders’ shooting to 8-for-30 (26.7 percent) from the field.
The Niners will be back in action on Saturday, December 22 at 2 pm when they face ACC foe Florida State at Time Warner Cable Arena.
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