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Charlotte Squeaks Out Low-Scoring Battle at Home

Lawrence Davis III @LawDavis13 @SpecMagSports

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The lowest scoring output in a Charlotte victory this season was enough to carry the 49ers past Marshall thanks to a strong defensive effort, as the Niners halted the Thundering Herd 52-46 Thursday night inside Halton Arena.

Redshirt senior Jade Phillips continued to fill the stat sheet, as she registered her seventh double-double of the campaign and 15th of her career with game-highs of 16 points and 16 rebounds, including 11 on the defensive glass.

Sophomore Jada McMillian, known for her ball distribution from the point guard position, added a career-best 11 caroms to help Charlotte win the rebounding battle, 49-to-35. Her previous best effort on the glass was five, at FIU last season, while her high this year was four in the win at ECU in mid-November. She added eight points and four assists to another all-around strong showing.

Junior Mariah Linney drained all three of the 49ers’ 3-pointers, including the first two field goals for her team to open the contest. Her back-to-back triples staked Charlotte to an early 6-2 advantage through the first two minutes.

The tallest player in program history, 6-6 freshman center Angel Middleton, made her collegiate debut Thursday night. She finished with five rebounds in seven minutes, entering the contest at the beginning of the second period.

Charlotte’s dominant effort on the boards was helped by 17 offensive rebounds. The 49ers continually crashed the glass on both ends to give them at least 40 caroms four times in the last five games. Meanwhile, the 32 on the defensive end helped limit the Thundering Herd to only eight offensive.

The Niners trailed by three, 15-12, through the opening 10 minutes. Middleton hit the floor to begin the second quarter and it forced Marshall into its lowest shooting period of the contest, a 1-of-11 effort (9.1 percent) with the lone conversion from behind the 3-point arc. The visitors finished with just five points in the 10-minute frame as Charlotte entered halftime ahead by three, 23-20, and never trailed again.

The 49ers remain inside Halton Arena for a 4 p.m. Saturday tip against WKU. The matchup will be carried live on ESPN+ as one of two home games on the network for Charlotte this season.