Charlotte Battles Past UTEP, 88-78
Braxton Ogbueze scored seven of his game-high 24 points during a decisive 19-4 run in the second half, as Charlotte rallied for an 88-78 victory over UTEP on Saturday at Halton Arena.
The 49ers (8-8, 12-17 C-USA) won for the sixth time in their last seven home games. UTEP (17-13, 9-8 C-USA) was dealt its second straight defeat following six consecutive victories.
The Miners set a school record for first-half field goal percentage in the first half, when they made 21-of-28 shots (75 percent). But they only led 47-40 at the break. In the second half, UTEP cooled off to 33.3 percent from the field and was outscored 48-31.
UTEP had no answer for Charlotte defensively. The 49ers continued their torrid offensive tear, shooting 48.4 percent from the field (55.2 percent in the second half) while making 10-of-23 three-pointers and 18-of-20 free throws.
“I thought we were in trouble at halftime when we were shooting 75 percent and we were only up seven,” UTEP coach Tim Floyd said. “We had a real inability to stay between our guy and the basket tonight. And it didn’t matter what defense we were in. We tried them all. None of them really applied.”
The Miners will close out the regular season at home against UTSA next Saturday ( March 5 ) at 2 p.m. Besides “Senior Day” for Tevin Caldwell, Victor Mbachu, Earvin Morris and Hooper Vint, it will be “Fan Appreciation Day” with all seats in the copper section reduced from $18 to $12. UTEP’s lowest ticket price remains $8.
