Charlotte 49ers’ Joseph Uchebo logs 10th double-double as 49ers hold on

Charlotte won its third straight game – but not before time was put back on the clock, giving Florida International one more chance.

As it turned out, Joseph Uchebo grabbed a big rebound, and the 49ers escaped with a 72-69 victory on Thursday night at FIU Arena.

Charlotte (7-13, 4-4 Conference USA) led 71-66 when FIU’s Daviyon Draper hit a three-pointer from the left wing. Draper got fouled by freshman Jon Davis, the shot counted but the clock showed 0:00.

After the referees reviewed the tape, 1.4 seconds were put back on the clock, giving Draper the chance to miss a free throw on purpose, hoping for a tip-in and overtime.

Instead, Draper rebounded the missed foul shot, got fouled and made a free throw for the final margin over FIU (11-10, 5-3).

Up next, Charlotte finishes its two-game trip to the Sunshine State by playing at Florida Atlantic on Saturday at 2 p.m.

Three who mattered

Uchebo had 19 points, 10 rebounds and two steals. It was his 10th double-double of the season and his sixth in a row.

Braxton Ogbueze of Charlotte had an efficient game – 15 points, four assists and just one turnover. He made 5-of-9 on three-pointers. One nit-pick on his game – he was 0-for-4 on two-pointers.

Draper had a game-high 24 points.

Observations

▪ This was a highly competitive game – 12 tie scores and 12 lead changes. Neither team led by more than seven points.

▪ Charlotte had 17 offensive rebounds – nine more than FIU. Charlotte also had a 17-11 advantage on second-chance points.

Worth mentioning

▪ There was a pro scout on press row who was here to check on the game’s two prominent senior centers – 6-11 Adrian Diaz of FIU and 6-10 Uchebo. Diaz, who has the higher ranking, the scout said, put up 17 points, eight blocks and four rebounds.

▪ Even though it was raining all day in Miami, there’s a clear beach motif at FIU’s arena. That includes murals of sunsets on the walls, seats under the basket that include couches and umbrellas overhead and paint on the court that depict ocean waves and palm trees.

He said it

“Joseph (Uchebo) waited until the final second to get that double-double. He went after that rebound hard.” – Charlotte coach Mark Price

“I didn’t think (Uchebo) was quite ready in the first half – he got in foul trouble. (Benas) Griciunas came in and did a fantastic job keeping us in the game (six points in the first half on 3-of-4 shooting). … Joe was fresh in the second half.” – Price

This story was originally published January 28, 2016 at 10:35 PM with the headline "Charlotte 49ers’ Joseph Uchebo logs 10th double-double as 49ers hold on."