Curtis Withers shoots over Duquesne's DeVario Hudson during the first half at Halton Arena. |
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Withers Doubles Up To Lead Charlotte Past Duquesne 77-71
March 1, 2006
CHARLOTTE, N.C. Senior Curtis Withers scored a season-high 27 points and added 10 rebounds for his league-leading 15th double-double of the year to lead Charlotte past Duquesne, 77-71, in the 49ers final home game of the year.
Withers hit 6-of-8 free throws down the stretch, including one of two with 17 seconds left and the 49ers protecting a three-point lead. Leemire Goldwire nailed two free throws with :07 left to give the 49ers the six-point win.
Charlotte (18-10; 11-4) led by as many as 18 in the second half and were still up by 10 with 1:46 to play before the Dukes tightened things up by scoring the next seven points. Duquesne's Bryant McAllister hit two free throws wth 36 seconds left to pull the Dukes within three, 74-71. On the 49ers next possession, the Dukes nearly forced a turnover, but Withers raced to corral the free ball. He was fouled with 17 seconds left.
Withers hit 8-of-13 shots, including a pair of rim-rocking dunks in the second half, and added 11-of-17 free throws. With 10 rebounds, Withers notched his 15th double-double of the year and the 43rd of his career. He also closed to within 16 rebounds of 1000 career boards.
The win secured a bye for the 49ers in next week's A-10 Tournament. In fact, the win, coupled with Saint Louis' OT loss to Dayton, means the 49ers will finish no worse than tied for 2nd in their first season in the A-10. That gives Charlotte three straight seasons of Top 2 finishes in league play. The 49ers won the 2004 Conference USA regular-season championship, were runners-up in C-USA in 2005 and now will finish at least tied for 2nd in the A-10.
Junior De'Angelo Alexander added his third double-double of the year with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Senior Marcus Bennett had 14 points and four steals. Goldwire finished with 12 points.
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Duquesne was led by McAllister, the A-10's leading scorer, who finished with 23 points.
Charlotte shot 51% from the floor, but Duquesne won the battle of the boards, 35-30. Charlotte forced 17 turnovers with 11 steals and scored 22 points off of turnovers.
Charlotte, which trailed by as many as eight in the first half, rallied to take a four-point halftime lead, 42-38. Duquesne shot 50% from the floor in the first half. Charlotte responded with 55% shooting. Withers and Alexander both had 13 points at the break.
The 49ers wrap up the regular-season at #6/#7 George Washington, Saturday at 2:00 p.m. (ESPN).
