Charlotte 49ers top High Point despite 2nd-half adversity

The Charlotte 49ers played without their three most experienced players for long stretches of the second half Friday, but had enough to beat High Point 70-67 at Halton Arena.

The 49ers improved to 3-2, but won with point guard Jon Davis (ankle injury) and guards Andrien White and Austin Ajukwa (fouled out) either on the bench or in the locker room for significant portions of the second half.

When those three were out, the 49ers made do with freshmen guards Ryan White and Jaylan McGill doing most of the ball-handling duties.

The 49ers (3-2) led virtually the entire way, but had to figure out the Panthers’ full-court pressure defense in the second half to win. The 49ers also did themselves no favors at the foul line, making 20-of-37 free throws.

Davis, a junior who was a preseason All-Conference USA selection, left the game after he injured his right ankle with 11 minutes, 44 seconds left. He came back – having replaced his low-top sneakers with high tops – with 1:23 left. Charlotte coach Mark Price said after the game he didn’t know the severity of Davis’ injury.

The 49ers led by as many as 11 points in the first half, but came undone early in the second half when High Point coach Scott Cherry employed some full-court pressure. The Panthers rallied and took a 44-43 lead with 16:30 left on a 3-pointer by Andre Fox. The Panthers increased the lead to three points, but Charlotte responded with a seven-point run to take back control.

Three who mattered

Hudson Price: Charlotte’s senior guard was a steadying influence with the others out. He didn’t miss a shot (4-of-4 from the floor, both 3-pointers he tried, 7-for-7 from the line) on his way to 17 points. Also had four rebounds.

Najee Garvin: In the second half, much of the scoring load fell to Charlotte’s sophomore forward, who finished with 13 points.

Brandonn Kamga: With Panthers’ leading scorer Andre Fox having an off night (10 points), Kamga responded with a career-high 26.

Observations

▪ The 49ers’ next game is at home Tuesday against Davidson for the Hornet’s Nest Trophy. High Point is at Pittsburgh on Tuesday.

▪ With UNC Charlotte on Thanksgiving break, the bulk of the student section was comprised of the 49ers’ football team, which faces Florida Atlantic on Saturday in Richardson Stadium. Senior offensive lineman Eugene German was the most vocal and animated of the football players.

▪ 49ers freshman guard Ryan Murphy was active on defense in the first half. He got his hands on the ball a few times during one possession, then came up with a steal later.

▪ The 49ers had chances to put significant distance between themselves and the Panthers in the first half, never trailing and going up by as many as 11 points. But High Point didn’t go away (helped by 2-of-6 free-throw shooting by Charlotte), and trailed just 38-33 at halftime.

▪ Charlotte center Jailan Haslem took advantage of his size advantage – he’s 6-foot-10, High Point had no starter taller than 6-7 – in the first half, pulling down a team-high four rebounds and scoring eight points. High Point outrebounded Charlotte 16-15 in the first half, however.

▪ Fifty-one fouls were called; 28 on High Point, 23 on Charlotte. The Panthers did better at the line, making 15-of-21.

Quoting

“We made some silly mistakes.” -- Hudson Price, on how the 49ers handled the High Point fullcourt pressure.

“It was a lesson learned for our young guys. They learned they have to relax. That was more pressure than they’re used to.” -- Coach Mark Price.

“We missed more free throws tonight than I did in a season.” -- Mark Price, who was on one of the NBA’s all-time great free-throw shooters.

This story was originally published November 24, 2017 at 10:07 PM with the headline "Charlotte 49ers top High Point despite 2nd-half adversity."