Jon Davis helps Charlotte 49ers to lopsided victory over Western Kentucky

Jon Davis scored 23 points as the Charlotte 49ers upended Western Kentucky 88-71 in Conference USA men’s basketball Saturday night at Halton Arena.

Davis, a freshman, finished with 9-of-12 shooting from the field, including four 3-pointers, for the 49ers (6-13, 3-4). Braxton Ogbueze added 19 points, Curran Scott 15 and Joseph Uchebo had 14 points and led the team with 13 rebounds.

“Jon is special to me because he is the first guy who committed to me after I got the job,” 49ers coach Mark Price said. “He had some tough games early on, but he just continues to grow and listen and learn, and he gets better every game.”

The 49ers opened with a 15-4 run, capped by a Scott 3-pointer, and they never trailed after that on their way to a 37-34 lead at the break. Davis hit all four of his 3-pointers during the first half.

Charlotte went to Scott early in the second half and he scored the first six points after the break to help build a 43-38 advantage. Western Kentucky trailed by six, 46-40, four minutes into the second half, but the 49ers blew it open after that on a 12-2 run to take a 58-42 lead with 12 minutes, 20 seconds to play.

“It was a good win for our team, and it was a good time to get back-to-back wins,” Price said. “Our guys came out in the second half and they played with a lot more determination, and we were able to get after it and rebound the ball, and that allowed us to get some easy buckets.”

Charlotte shot 61.3 percent from the field during the second half.

Ogbueze gave the 49ers their largest lead of the game, 69-46, with 8:37 left with a 3-pointer. The Hilltoppers would get no closer than 17 points after that as the 49ers ran away with their largest margin of victory in conference this season.

Fredrick Edmond had 18 points and 14 rebounds for the Hilltoppers (10-10, 2-5). Justin Johnson had 21 points.

This story was originally published January 23, 2016 at 8:59 PM with the headline "Jon Davis helps Charlotte 49ers to lopsided victory over Western Kentucky."