Charlotte 49ers knock down free throws and knock off Western Kentucky in overtime
Charlotte connected on 9-of-10 free throws in overtime Saturday afternoon and defeated visiting Western Kentucky 75-71 in a Conference USA basketball game.
The 49ers trailed by six points with less than two minutes left in regulation but rallied to force overtime. They pulled ahead midway through the extra session on a pair of Milos Supica free throws and held on.
Western Kentucky (8-3, 1-1) had won six in a row, including a 67-63 decision over Charlotte (5-4, 1-1) on Friday afternoon.
Much of the game followed the same pattern as Friday. The 49ers led 36-30 at halftime and built their biggest lead, 46-37, with 13:59 remaining. But the Hilltoppers, who had a key 11-0 surge Friday, went on a 25-9 run Saturday and led Charlotte 62-55 with 3:05 left.
But the 49ers, who weren’t able to catch the Hilltoppers on Friday, rallied on Saturday. They forced a pair of Western Kentucky turnovers and tied the score at 64-64 on a Supica layup with 1:14 to play.
Each team missed multiple scoring opportunities the rest of the way in regulation.
In overtime, the Hilltoppers led 67-66 after a Dayveion McKnight free throw with 3:31 left.
But Supica sank a pair of foul shots with 3:07 to play, giving the 49ers a 68-67 lead. After Western Kentucky missed a pair of 3-point attempts, Jahmir Young made two free throws for a 70-67 lead with 1:43 left.
The big play in overtime came after McKnight scored for the Hilltoppers, cutting the 49ers’ lead to 70-69 with 1:11 to go. Charlotte’s Brice Williams missed a layup, but Young grabbed a key offensive rebound and passed to Jordan Shepherd, who was fouled.
Shepherd made two free throws, and Young added two more with 12 seconds left for a 74-69 lead.
Young clinched the victory by sinking a free throw with three seconds remaining for the game’s final point.
“Down six points with 1:40 to go (in regulation), it was improbable to come back,” Charlotte coach Ron Sanchez said. “I’d like to see the odds on that. But we just played defense. We made stops down the stretch.”
Young, a sophomore guard, had a big game with 24 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. He connected on 3-of-5 3-point attempts. Supica added 12 points and seven rebounds.
Tayveion Hollingsworth led the Hilltoppers with 23 points, and center Charles Bassey had 11 points and eight rebounds.
The 49ers travel to Marshall next week, playing the Thundering Herd at 6 p.m. Friday and 4 p.m. Saturday.
Steve Lyttle on Twitter: @slyttle