Senior De'Angelo Alexander ranks 4th in the A-10 with a 17.8 scoring average. |
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GAME NOTES: Charlotte vs. La Salle, Wednesday at 7:30
Jan. 30, 2007
Halton Arena -
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TODAY'S GAME
Charlotte 49ers (8-11; 2-5)
vs. La Salle (9-12; 2-5)
Jan. 31 (7:30 p.m.)
Radio: WFNA 1660 (Matt Swierad)
The Coaches:
Bobby Lutz, Charlotte
Career: 343-198, 18th year
at Charlotte: 162-107, 9th year
Dr. John Giannini
Career: 330-190, 18th year
at La Salle: 37-41, 3rd year
Series: 49ers lead, 2-0 (H: 1-0; A: 1-0)
Charlotte defeated La Salle, 64-52, last year in Philadelphia. Leemire Goldwire scored 16, including 13 in the second half and Curtis Withers added a 13-point; 12-rebound double-double. In La Salle's only visit to Charlotte (Dec. 9, 1977), Charlotte won 68-67 at the then-Charlotte Coliseum (Independence/Cricket Arena).
Next Game: Charlotte heads to Xavier for the lone road game in a six-game stretch. Charlotte dropped both meetings with Xavier, last year, losing 78-65 at Halton and 59-55 in the A-10 Tourney in Cincinnati.
The Game: The Charlotte 49ers (8-11; 2-5) host La Salle (9-12; 2-5) in an effort to snap a three-game losing streak -- the 49ers longest of the season. Charlotte and La Salle are tied for 11th-place in the A-10 at 2-5, but are just a game out of seventh-place. Charlotte has been led by senior workhorse E.J. Drayton during the three-game skid. Drayton is averaging 15.6 points and 9.3 rebounds. Leading scorer De'Angelo Alexander has been held to just 10.3 points per game over the last three losses. Charlotte is 5-3 at home and play four of their next five games at Halton Arena.
DRAYTON DOUBLE UP vs. UMASS: Going up against two of the league's premier big men (UMass' Rashaun Freeman and Stephane Lasme), senior E.J. Drayton continued his powerful play this season. Perhaps the 49ers' most consistent performer all year, Drayton posted a double-double of 16 points and 13 rebounds against UMass -- only the second double-double yielded by the Minutemen this year. It was Drayton's fifth double-double of the year and his second in A-10 play. The 13 rebounds matched his career-high set in the first two games, this season. averaging 13.2 points this year, Drayton has scored in double figures 17 times and had at least 8 rebounds 14 times. His performance vs. UMass included a signature dunk over both Freeman and Lasme, the nation's second-leading shot blocker, with just over 15 minutes to play in the second half.
ALEXANDER UP FOR SENIOR "CLASS" AWARD: De'Angelo Alexander is one of the nation's Top 30 candidates for the 2007 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award -- the nation's premier tribute to college seniors. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the award recognzies seniors who excel both on and off the court. The award, in particular, highlights performance in the four "C"'s: Court, Classroom, Character and Community.
DEFENSE: Charlotte's defense has certainly been puzzling. To start the season, 8 of 11 opponents scored over 70 points. Only one of the next five scored more than 70, with two being held below 60, the fewest points allowed all season. Then two of the last three opponents scored 76 points while shooting over 54%. against UMass, Charlotte held the Minutemen to 29 points and 38% shooting in the first half, but allowed 57% shooting in the second half.
HEATING UP IN THE A-10: In A-10 play, Charlotte is shooting 43% from the floor and 39% from three-point land. Leemire Goldwire is averaging 15.0 points and shooting .437 from the floor and .490 from three-point range. De'Angelo Alexander is shooting .435 from the floor and .367 from three-point range. Antwon Coleman (.552), Jerell Jamison (.571), E.J. Drayton (.455) and Carlos Williams (.419) are all shooting better in A-10 play.
ALEXANDER HIGH SCORER: Wooden Award National Player of the Year and Lowe's Senior CLASS candidate De'Angelo Alexander, the 49ers leading scorer last season, has scored 20 or more points nine times and leads the team with an 17.8 scoring average - 4th-best in the A-10. The last two players to lead the 49ers in scoring in back-to-back seasons were Curtis Withers (`04 & `05) and DeMarco Johnson (`96, `97, & `98).
NINERS IN LEAGUE PLAY: Charlotte won 35 league games in the last 3 years (11.7/yr), grabbing one regular-season title and two runner-up finishes:
2006: 11-5, 2nd in A-10; NIT
2005: 12-4 , 2nd in C-USA; NCAA
2004: 12-4, C-USA Champs; NCAA
Bobby Lutz is 83-51 (.617) in league play in his eight-plus years with the 49ers, averaging 10.0 league wins (A-10: 14-9, 1+ years; C-USA: 69-42, 7 years).
Home at Halton: Charlotte has won 77% (108-31) of its games at Halton Arena, home of the 49ers for the last 11 years. Charlotte is 5-3 at home this year.
A-10 Stat LEADERS:
De'Angelo Alexander is 4th in scoring (17.8)
E.J. Drayton is 2nd in rebounding (8.8)
Leemire Goldwire is 4th in free throw pct. (.873)
Charlotte is 1st in 3FGM (163; 8.58/gm)
Charlotte is 3rd in rebounding (36.3 rpg)
Charlotte is 5th in rebound margin (+2.5)
Charlotte is 5th in turnover Margin (+0.84)
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