Senior E.J. Drayton muscled up for a 16-point; 13-rebound double-double vs. UMass. |
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Charlotte Falls To UMass, 66-61
Jan. 28, 2007
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -Rashaun Freeman scored 18 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead Massachusetts to a 66-61 victory over Charlotte on Sunday.
Stephane Lasme added 12 points and Chris Lowe had three clutch free throws in the final 22 seconds for Massachusetts (15-5, 5-2 Atlantic 10), which overcame a 16-point first-half deficit to move into a tie for third place.
E.J. Drayton led Charlotte (8-11, 2-5) with 16 points and 13 rebounds, while DeAngelo Alexander added 13 points, 12 of those in the first half.
It was Charlotte's third-straight loss and the 49ers' fifth defeat in their past seven games.
The 49ers cut the Minutemen's lead to 63-61 on a 3-pointer by Leemire Goldwire with 28.4 seconds remaining before a controversial play on the ensuing inbounds.
Etienne Brower corralled the inbounds pass and appeared to lose the ball out of bounds near his own baseline. Officials ruled Brower had called timeout.
Lowe hit two big free throws with 21.7 seconds left to stretch the lead to four and make it a two-possession game. He hit another a few seconds later for the final margin.
The 49ers couldn't get a shot to fall late in the game and shot just 36.8 percent from the field.
Charlotte led by as many as 16 midway through the first half behind the solid play of Alexander, but the Minutemen rallied on the inside play of Freeman and Lasme and trimmed the lead to 32-29 at the half.
They took the lead for good with just under 11 minutes to play in the game when Brower knocked down a 3-pointer to give Massachusetts a 45-42 lead.
Notes: (Added by Charlotte Sports Information)
E.J. Drayton's 16-point; 13-rebound double-double was his fifth of the season and included a monstrous dunk at the 15:32 mark of the second half.
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The 49ers current three-game losing streak is the 49ers longest of the season.
Antwon Coleman scored 10 points for his second game in double figures in the last three. Over the last three games, Coleman is averaging 10.3 points while shooting 56% (14-of-25).
Charlotte hosts La Salle, Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. at Halton Arena.
