Curtis Withers was a bright spot for the 49ers, scoring 32 points Thursday. (File Photo) |
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Charlotte Falls To Memphis In C-USA Quarterfinals, 83-69
March 10, 2005
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - Rodney Carney scored 20 points, and Memphis continued its run through the Conference USA tournament with a 83-69 victory over No. 25 Charlotte in the quarterfinals Thursday night.
Memphis (18-14), the tournament's No. 7 seed, won for the second straight night after a season-ending four-game skid. St. Louis, Memphis' first victim in the tournament was one of the losses during that stretch, and Charlotte was another.
The Tigers play either No. 21 Cincinnati or South Florida, who played in the nightcap of Thursday's play. Cincinnati also defeated the Tigers in their losing stretch.
Memphis used strong rebounding and benefited from a poor shooting night for second-seeded Charlotte (21-7). The Tigers Memphis outrebounded the 49ers 45-33, including 22 offensive rebounds that led to 28 second-chance points.
Charlotte shot just 35 percent, including hitting only 8 of 32 shots in the second half. Curtis Withers led the 49ers with 32 points, while C-USA player of the year Eddie Basden scored 13.
Jeremy Hunt and Anthony Rice added 13 each for Memphis.
Memphis opened the biggest lead of the game with an early 8-2 run in the second half as Charlotte missed eight of its first nine shots. The Tigers eventually would extend it to 52-42 on a pair of free throws by Darius Washington just before the 12-minute mark.
Memphis continued to extend the lead midway through the half, before Charlotte coach Bobby Lutz got called for a technical with 8:56 left. Carney's two free throws gave Memphis a 63-45 lead.
The Tigers extended their lead to 20 on Rice's 3-pointer with 7:53 left. Charlotte never got closer than 12 in the closing seconds.
Memphis led 39-37 after an intense first half that saw 16 lead changes and five ties.
Withers dominated inside during the half, hitting 8 of his 12 shots for 20 points. Meanwhile, Carney continued to come out of a late-season shooting slump, scoring 13 points.
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Both teams played tough defense, hustling after loose balls and banging on the boards. The Tigers dominated the rebounding early, with a dozen on the offensive end with 7 minutes left in the half. They would not get another in the half, and both teams grabbed 20 rebounds before the break.
