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News Nuggets, 02.17.05
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Compiled from staff reports and electronic dispatches

No. 23 Charlotte out-grinds Diener-led DePaul

CHARLOTTE — Charlotte's first game as a Top 25 team in six seasons wasn't a classic 49ers performance.

And that's what made the 66-62 victory over DePaul on Wednesday night particularly satisfying for coach Bobby Lutz.

``We'd been in this kind of game a lot over the last few years ... and haven't been able to win. This will give us a lot of confidence going forward,'' Lutz said.

``When the game's fast and the score's in the 80s and 90s, we're good. Tonight we had to grind it out.''

No one was better at grinding it out for the 49ers (18-4, 9-2 Conference USA) than forward Eddie Basden, who finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds and seemed to be everywhere on the court.

Basden forced turnovers, fought through screens, grabbed rebounds, drove the lane, shot from the perimeter and slammed the ball home to finish fast breaks.

It won't show up in the box score, but no play was more crucial than Basden's tip of Mitchell Baldwin's missed free throw with 35 seconds left and Charlotte clinging to a 63-62 lead.

Instead of DePaul (16-6, 8-3) having the ball with a chance to get it to the sizzling Drake Diener for a possible go-ahead 3-pointer, Charlotte's Brendan Plavich grabbed Basden's carom and was fouled. After he made one of two free throws, Diener's final 3-point attempt hit the front of the rim and Charlotte's win was secure.

Diener, who had 25 points, finished with seven 3s, tying the school record. Five came in the second half, as the Blue Demons rallied from a 54-44 deficit.

Charlotte came in averaging 78.9 points per game. The 23rd-ranked 49ers fell well short of that Wednesday, but still bolstered their credentials as a ranked team after entering the AP's Top 25 on Monday for the first time since the final poll of the 1998-99 season.

``They proved how good they are by winning the game without playing the pace they are accustomed to,'' DePaul coach Dave Leitao said. ``We thought if we didn't let them have a free-flowing game, we would have a chance to win.''

Backed by a raucous Halton Arena crowd of 9,105, Charlotte had 18 offensive rebounds, four each from Withers and E.J. Drayton, to just 11 for DePaul.

Plavich, who averaged 14 points per game coming in, had an off night, shooting 1-of-11 and missing all six of his 3-point attempts. He finished with seven points.

Withers had 18 points and five rebounds and reserve E.J. Drayton added 12 points to give the 49ers just enough to get by.

Marion Brumfield had 12 points and 11 rebounds for DePaul, while Quemont Greer had 11 points.

But Diener, who finished 7-for-13 on 3s, was the show down the stretch.

With DePaul trailing 54-44 after a jumper by Withers with 10:05 remaining, Diener took over. He scored 12 of the Blue Demons' final 18 points, all on 3s.

A shot from 5 feet beyond the arc made it 54-48 with 7:56 left. Another bomb gave DePaul its first lead of the second half, 59-58 with 2:34 left.

Finally, Diener's 3 from the left baseline tied the game at 62 with 56 seconds left.

Charlotte's Baldwin was fouled by DePaul's Sammy Mejia and went to the line with 35 seconds left. He made the first free throw, but missed the second, setting up Basden's tip.

No. 24 Cincinnati takes out anxiety on USM

CINCINNATI — Three straight Conference USA losses left No. 24 Cincinnati in a tough spot. All the Bearcats can do now is win and hope for a lot of help.

Jason Maxiell scored 20 points and Eric Hicks had 18 points and 12 rebounds Wednesday night, setting up an 83-51 victory over Southern Mississippi.

Hicks and Maxiell did most of the damage for Cincinnati (19-6, 7-4 Conference USA), which relies too heavily at times on the two burly power forwards. The Bearcats' offense was unbalanced and out of sync while they lost those three conference games, dropping them into the unfamiliar role of league also-ran.

They know they can't afford another loss.

``We were just trying to get back on track,'' Hicks said. ``We need to get back on the right track fast. That was a game that can help us go that way. We got some confidence back.''

They didn't need much more than their two power forwards to handle the Golden Eagles (10-14, 1-11), who have lost six in a row for the second time this season. Cincinnati dominated the boards 44-19 and scored nearly half of its points from close range.

Southern Mississippi coach Larry Eustachy has a short roster and a group of mild-mannered players, making it tough to match up against the conference's top teams.

``We're just a team that needs to learn how to try before we do anything else,'' Eustachy said. ``We try in spurts. We don't have a competitive makeup. That's just how it is, who we are.

``When you've got the ref hugging you at the end of the game feeling sorry for you, it's bad.''

After leading by only six points at halftime, the Bearcats pulled away from the conference's last-place team. Hicks and Maxiell each had two baskets in a 12-3 spurt that opened the second half and broke the game open.

Rashaad Carruth led Southern Mississippi with 16 points.

Houston cruises past turnover-prone Bulls

HOUSTON — Andrew Owens scored 20 points and Ramon Dyer grabbed 10 rebounds to lead Houston to a 68-50 victory over South Florida on Wednesday night.

Houston (16-10, 7-5 Conference USA), which led 37-31 at halftime, scored 31 points off turnovers compared to nine points for the Bulls.

Lanny Smith had 16 points and Brian Latham added 14 for the Cougars, who are 11-1 at home this season.

Terrence Leather led South Florida (10-13, 3-9) with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Collin Dennis added nine points for the Bulls, who next face East Carolina at home on Saturday.

News Nuggets are compiled periodically based on material supplied by staff members; data published by ECU, Conference USA and its member schools; and reports from Associated Press and other sources. Copyright 2005 Bonesville.net and other publishers. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Page Updated: 02/23/2007 12:21 PM