Charlotte 49ers rally again; this time it’s not enough vs. James Madison
James Madison held off a late Charlotte charge and beat the 49ers 64-59 Friday at Halton Arena.
The 49ers (1-2), who overcame a 24-point deficit against Oklahoma State last Saturday, trailed by as many as 18 points against the Dukes (4-0) in the second half. This time, the margin was too much to overcome.
Charlotte struggled shooting for much of the game, going 21-of-53 (39.6 percent). But the 49ers finally got something going in the last five minutes, getting two 3-pointers from freshman Brandon Younger and another from freshman Cooper Robb. Two free throws by senior guard Jon Davis cut JMU’s lead to 55-50 with 1 minute, 35 seconds left.
But the Dukes made 11 consecutive free throws down the stretch to keep the 49ers at bay.
Three who mattered
Davis, Charlotte: 49ers senior guard hit the 20-point mark for the third time this season, scoring 20 and handing out two assists.
Milos Supica, Charlotte: Sophomore forward was a big lift off the bench, scoring 10 points and grabbing five rebounds. He scored eight consecutive 49ers points during one stretch in the second half.
Darius Banks, James Madison: Dukes guard overcame a seven-turnover night by scoring 21 points, making 2-of-3 3-pointers and hitting 9-of-10 free throws.
Worth mentioning
▪ The 49ers’ women’s game Friday against Rutgers at Halton Arena was postponed when the Scarlet Knights were unable to travel because of bad weather in the Northeast. A makeup date hasn’t been decided.
▪ James Madison came into the game unbeaten, winning by a point at East Carolina and beating two Division III teams from Virginia - Eastern Mennonite and Bridgewater - at home.
▪ The 49ers have started slowly in all three of their games. Charlotte fell behind by as many 13 points in the first half against the Dukes, ultimately trailing 30-23 at halftime. The 49ers were outscored a combined 78-47 in their first two games against Chattanooga (a loss) and Oklahoma State (a victory).
▪ The 49ers missed all nine of their 3-point attempts in the first half. Charlotte shot 7-of-26 (26.9 percent) in the first half and JMU rebounded 16 of those missed shots.
▪ Charlotte plays again Monday against Longwood in Halton Arena; JMU’s next game is Tuesday at home against The Citadel.
They said it
“The one thing that is concerning is that we’re falling behind and then picking up our fight.” - 49ers coach Ron Sanchez.
“It all started with practice. We didn’t come out and practice or be as focused as we should have been. That’s on me and Jon (Davis).” -- 49ers senior center Jailan Haslem.
“The list is going to be long. There were a lot of mistakes out there.” - Sanchez, on what he’ll be looking for when looking at film of the game.
“Winning or losing doesn’t impact how we learn. This is another opportunity for us to learn.” - Sanchez.