The Charlotte 49ers men’s basketball team once again snatched defeat from the hands of victory, blowing a five point lead in the final 3:32 as they fell on the road against Middle Tennessee by a final score of 72-69. True freshman Keyshawn Woods launched a potential game-tying 3-pointer in the waning seconds, but couldn’t connect as the 49ers lost for the seventh time in their last nine contests.
“We did not finish the game the way that we wanted to,” said Charlotte’s interim head coach Ryan Odom post game.
“We are confident in the fact that we know what we have to work on and now we will get ready for two home games next weekend.”
Charlotte (8-11, 2-5) once again stumbled out of the gates and found themselves trailing 15-7 after a slew of turnovers in the opening minutes. Despite altering the starting five for the second consecutive game, Odom and his squad lacked the intensity and execution required early in the game.
Odom pushed the right button midway through the first half when he looked to Woods and Cam Blakley off the bench to provide a spark for his offense. The two role players found a rhythm from beyond the arc and ignited a 13-0 scoring run to put the 49ers on top 20-15 with nine minutes left in the opening stanza.
Middle Tennessee (12-8, 5-2) struggled with Charlotte’s defensive intensity throughout the remainder of the first half and a balanced scoring attack propelled the 49ers to a 37-27 advantage at halftime. Woods led all scorers with eight points at the break and fellow freshman Torin Dorn pitched in seven points as well.
“We played good in the first half. We guarded well, rebounded the ball and scored effectively,” said Odom.
Dorn caught fire at the beginning of the second half, scoring the team’s first seven points including a monster one-hand jam off a beautiful pass from Pierria Henry. Unfortunately, Charlotte didn’t appear as inspired on the defensive side of the ball as the Blue Raiders started to pound the rock in the paint.
Middle Tennessee attacked the 49ers post players and attempted an astounding 24 free throw attempts in the second half. The Blue Raiders scored 20 of the game’s final 28 points in the final seven minutes of action.
Middle Tennessee’s Jaqawn Raymond gave his team the lead for good when he buried a 3-pointer with 1:49 left on the clock. Henry, who finished with a career-high 12 assists and played a nearly flawless first 36 minutes, turned the ball over three times in the closing moments and Charlotte couldn’t make enough plays down the stretch to come away victorious.
“I have no words,” said Willie Clayton who finished the game with 10 points.
“We just have to come back and work hard in practice. That’s about it.”
Dorn finished with a game-high 16 points and led the 49ers with five rebounds on the evening. Dorn has now scored in double figures in three consecutive games.
The 49ers will attempt to snap a three game losing streak when they return home to Halton Arena on Thursday, Jan. 29 against Florida Atlantic.