WASHINGTON, D.C. – Behind three double-figure scorers and a strong second-half offensive performance, the Charlotte 49ers (4-3) won their third straight game with a 66-65 win on the road over the George Washington Colonials (1-6).
Jahmir Young led all scorers with 21 points, while adding four rebounds, two steals, and two assists. Jordan Shepherd followed with 16 points, five boards, and three assists. Brice Williams tallied 10 points and went 2-for-2 from behind the three-point arc. Milos Supica almost picked up his second double-double of the season after scoring nine points and grabbing 10 boards. Jhery Matos added seven points and five rebounds to the 49ers’ efforts.
Charlotte, who trailed GW by six points at the half, scored 39 points while shooting 56 percent from the field in the second half.
HOW IT HAPPENED
FIRST HALF – It was a slow start for the 49ers, but Williams scored the first five points for Charlotte after hitting a three-pointer and connecting on a dunk after a steal with 14:12 left. With George Washington leading 20-10 with 9:56 on the clock, the 49ers behind a basket by Young and a layup and a three-point basket by Shepherd went on a 7-0 run over the next minute and a half. The Colonials scored inside ending the 49ers’ run. Then, Anzac Rissetto followed with a layup of his own getting the 49ers within three points of GW. A jumper by Shepherd, four points from Supica, and a three-point play by Young closed out the 49ers’ first-half scoring. Charlotte trailed GW, 33-27, at the half.
SECOND HALF – Charlotte scored 13 of the half’s first 19 points taking a 40-39 lead after Matos made a steal while finishing the play on the other end with a dunk giving the 49ers a 40-39 lead with 15:11 on the clock. Shepherd, Supica, Williams, and Young also scored during the 49ers’ early second-half run. The Colonials regained the lead 42-40 with 14:48 on the clock. Charlotte went on a 7-0 run regaining the lead. Matos started the run with a three from the corner. The Colonials were held scoreless for almost five minutes as the Charlotte defense forced five turnovers during their run.
GW cut Charlotte’s lead to 47-46 but then baskets by Shepherd, Young, Supica, and Matos pushed the 49ers lead to 55-46 with just over eight minutes left in the game. George Washington answered the 49ers’ run with a 10-0 run regaining the lead 56-55 with five and a half minutes on the clock. A free throw by Supica and a three-point basket by Young helped the 49ers regain the lead. The Colonials scored six straight points regaining the lead with two minutes on the clock. Then, Young was fouled shooting a three on the wing, he connected on all three free throws tying the score at 62. Sealing the game, Shepherd banked in a long jumper and nailed a couple of free throws to pull the 49ers ahead for good with 24 seconds left.
GAME-WINNING STOP – Supica with hard impact on a ball screen which led to a Shepherd steal which sealed the win for the 49ers in the closing seconds.
QUOTABLE – “I’m so proud of the guys,” acting head coach/assistant coach Aaron Fearne said. “Credit to the crew and to our culture – finding a way, digging deep, working harder, making a couple of adjustments defensively, taking care of some things we wanted to do offensively. A big thing going in was, ‘How can you help your teammates succeed? How can we be successful?’ They did that and I’m really proud of them. We’re slowly building and that’s what we want to do during a season.”
NOTES
- With 21 points, Jahmir Young has recorded his 15th straight and 28th career double-digit scoring game.
- After scoring 16 points, Jordan Shepherd posted his fifth double-figure scoring game of the season and the 27th of his career.
- Shepherd finished the game with zero turnovers in 37 minutes of action.
- Brice Williams posted his fourth double-digit scoring game of the season with 10 points.
- Milos Supica’s 10 rebounds marked his sixth career double-figure rebounds game.
NEXT GAME
The 49ers begin Conference USA play in Halton Arena on Friday, January 1 against WKU at 4 p.m.
