News and Notes from East Carolina, Conference USA and Beyond

PREVIOUS NUGGETS

02.26.05: Hapless Campbell searching for end to futility ... Suspended players off Tar Heel football team ... C-USA basketball standings, scores, schedule & TV ... More...

02.25.05: WVU, new league foes spice up ECU football slate ... High-flying Charlotte ready for Southern Miss ... Marquette gets sour taste of life without Diener ... Conference USA standings, scores, schedule & TV ... More...

02.24.05: C-USA roundup: Charlotte gains share of first place ... Tough 'break' in practice ends Diener's season ... Conference USA standings, scores, schedule & TV ... More...

02.23.05: No. 21 Charlotte hosts Memphis in pivotal league matchup ... Diener, DePaul prevail over South Florida ... Conference USA standings, scores, schedule & TV ... More...

02.22.05: State turns defense over to former Syracuse assistant ... Mountain West adopts instant replay for 2005 ... Louisville, Charlotte advance in AP hoops poll ... More...

02.21.05: Fourth-and-10 for legislator's anti-BCS bill ... C- USA basketball standings, scores, schedule & TV ... More...

02.20.05: C-USA roundup: Ailing Bearcats fight off UAB ... C-USA basketball standings, scores, schedule & TV ... More...

02.19.05: South Carolina fined by SEC for fans rushing court ... Shocker boosts Hokies hoops to new pinnacle ... C-USA basketball standings, scores, schedule & TV ... More...

02.18.05: Cards escape Milwaukee with win after Marquette collapse ... Former juco coach charged with conning Louisville ... C-USA basketball standings, scores, schedule & TV ... More...

02.17.05: No. 23 Charlotte out- grinds Diener-led DePaul ... No. 24 Cincinnati takes out anxiety on USM ... Houston cruises past turnover-prone Bulls ... More...

02.16.05: UAB looks to cure losing streak at ECU's expense ... Tonight's final USM-Cincy clash set for ESPN2 ... Conference and team power indexes ... ACC to try instant replay next football season ... More...

02.15.05: ECU sprint phenom lands another national honor ... AP basketball poll: Charlotte cracks Top 25 ... Tulane still reigns over Baseball America poll ... ECU's next foe, Clemson, 21st in Collegiate Baseball poll ... More...

02.14.05: C-USA basketball standings, scores, schedule & TV ... Billikens' star guard leaves team indefinitely ... More...

02.13.05: C-USA roundup: The 'other Diener' helps nail Cincy ... Coach suspended over incident with officials ... More...

02.12.05: Embarrassed Cards in recovery mode as USF arrives ... Bearcats face must-win matchup at DePaul ... More...

02.11.05: $23 million baseball palace in the works at LSU ... Cincinnati crushes city rival's bid for another upset ... More...

Charlotte and Louisville kept pace with each other Saturday, remaining knotted for first place in Conference USA heading into a looming showdown between the two teams in the regular season's final week.

The No. 21 49ers closed their home schedule with their 10th straight win at Halton Arena, an 81-58 drubbing of Southern Mississippi.

The victory was the seventh straight for Charlotte (21-4, 12-2), which finished a perfect February and appears poised for an NCAA Tournament run.

Curtis Withers led the 49ers with 25 points and 11 rebounds, while Eddie Basden had 17 points, eight rebounds, four assists and six steals in his final appearance before the home fans.

Taquan Dean scored 14 points and Francisco Garcia added 12 to lead the No. 11 Cardinals to a 53-44 victory over Memphis.

Louisville (24-4, 12-2 Conference USA) used a 12-0 run midway through the second half to take the lead. Although the Tigers tied the game once, they never overcame the Cardinals as Juan Palacios scored six straight points and had a block down the stretch.

The wins by Charlotte and Louisville added drama to Thursday's nationally-televised (ESPN2, 7 PM) showdown between the teams on the Cardinals' home court.

Though Houston swept the men's and women's team titles Saturday at the Conference USA Indoor Track and Field Championship, East Carolina sprint sensation LaShawn Merritt won a prestigious individual accolade while helping his squad to a respectable fourth place team finish.

A freshman from Portsmouth, VA, Merritt was named C-USA's Male Freshman of the Year after winning both the 200-meter and 400-meter dashes in meet records times of 20.91 and 46.75, respectively. He also anchored the Pirates’ 4x400-meter relay squad to a third-place finish.

Merritt's performance came on the heels of a school-record weight throw by ECU's Eric Frasure, who won the individual title Friday with the toss of 20.66. The heave earned the Charlotte sophomore NCAA provisional-qualifying status.

In the men's team competition, Houston was followed by Texas Christian and Charlotte in second and third place, respectively.

On the women's side of the team competition, Charlotte was runner-up to Houston, UAB nailed down third and Southern Mississippi finished fourth, while ECU compiled an eighth-place finish.

For the Cougar men, it is their third-straight team title. The championship is the first for the Houston women since 2003 when the teams also swept both team titles.

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.