Charlotte is 5-1 when point guard Carlos Williams scores in double figures. |
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GAME NOTES: Charlotte at Xavier
Feb. 2, 2007
Cincinnati, Ohio -
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Today's Game
Charlotte 49ers (9-11; 3-5)
at Xavier (15-7; 5-3)
Feb. 3 (4:00 p.m.)
Radio: WFNA 1660 (Matt Swierad)
TV: ESPNU (Jim Barbar; Mike Jarvis)
The Coaches:
Bobby Lutz, Charlotte
Career: 344-198, 18th year
at Charlotte: 163-107, 9th year
Sean Miller, Xavier
Career: 53-30, 3rd year
at Xavier: 53-30, 3rd year
Series: 49ers trail, 0-3 (H: 0-1; A: 0-1; N: 0-1)
Charlotte dropped two meetings to the Musketeers, last year, falling 78-65 at Halton Arena and 59-55 in the A-10 Tournament in Cincinnati. The first meeting between the two clubs came in 1971, with Xavier winning 74-68 at home.
Next Game: Charlotte returns home to play Richmond in the first game of a three-game homestand. Charlotte defeated Richmond, 66-51, at Richmond earlier this year, for what is the 49ers lone road win.
The Game: The Charlotte 49ers (9-11; 3-5) travel to Xavier (15-7; 3-5), Saturday for a 4:00 p.m. contest (WFNA Radio; ESPNU TV). Charlotte snapped a three-game losing streak by overcoming a 14-point second half deficit to topple La Salle, 87-80, Wednesday night, but Charlotte has struggled to find success on the road. The 49ers are 3-8 on the road (1-7 in true road games) and lost their last two road games. This meeting at Xavier is the lone road game in the midst of five home games.
Drayton; Goldwire Key Come Back vs. La Salle: E.J. Drayton notched his second straight double-double (career-high 26 points; 7-of-7 FG; 11 rebounds) and Leemire Goldwire scored 19 of his 25 points in the second half as Charlotte rallied past La Salle. Charlotte hit its final 24 free throws, including 6-of-6 from Goldwire in the final 31 seconds, and Goldwire added back-to-back three-pointers in the final 2:08 to give the 49ers their first lead of the half. Charlotte trailed by 14 points, 65-51, with 9:03 to play. It was the 49ers largest second half comeback since coming back from 14 against South Florida in 2002.
Foul? Line: Charlotte's performance at the charity stripe has been anything but foul, this year. The 49ers are shooting .714 from the line, the highest in head coach Bobby Lutz's nine seasons and 5th best in the A-10. In the comeback against La Salle, Charlotte hit 24 straight free throws to close the game. Leemire Goldwire (.890), Carlos Williams (.805) and De'Angelo Alexander (.804) are all shooting over 80% and the three combined to hit 20-of-20 free throws against La Salle. Goldwire, who set the school record with 39 straight free throws, last year, has a current string of 17 straight.
Drayton Doubling Up: E.J. Drayton has posted back-to-back double-doubles, giving him six this year. Against La Salle, Drayton hit 7-of-7 shots; and 12-of-15 free throws for a career-high 26 points with 11 rebounds. Against UMass, going up against two of the league's premier big men (Rashaun Freeman and Stephane Lasme), Drayton posted a double-double of 16 points and 13 rebounds -- only the second double-double yielded by the Minutemen this year. The 13 rebounds matched his career-high set in the first two games, this season. Perhaps the 49ers most consistent force, this year, Drayton is averaging 13.8 points and has scored in double figures 18 times with at least 8 rebounds 15 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.
3 Straight Top Two League Finishes: Charlotte won 35 league games in the last 3 years (11.7/yr), grabbing one regular-season league title and two runner-up finishes in league play.
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 84-51 (.622) in league play in his eight-plus years, averaging 10.0 league wins (A-10: 14-10, 1+ years; C-USA: 69-42, 7 years).
On the Rise in A-10: In A-10 play, Charlotte is shooting 43% from the floor and 39% from three-point land as opposed to 40% from the floor and 33% from long range, overall. Leemire Goldwire is averaging 16.3 points and shooting .462 from three-point range in league games. De'Angelo Alexander is shooting .436 from the floor and .377 from three-point range. Antwon Coleman (.514), Jerell Jamison (.522), E.J. Drayton (.507) and Carlos Williams (.390) all shoot 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).
A-10 STAT LEADERS:
De'Angelo Alexander is 4th in scoring (17.8)
E.J. Drayton is 2nd in rebounding (8.9)
Leemire Goldwire is 2nd in free throw pct. (.890)
Charlotte is 1st in 3FGM (172; 8.60/gm)
Charlotte is 4th in rebounding (36.0 rpg)
Charlotte is 3rd in turnover Margin (+1.10)
Charlotte is 5th in FT% (.714)
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