Charlotte (4-3) moved above .500 Saturday afternoon as the team defeated George Washington at home, 86-79. In what some would consider a must-win game for a Niner team that lost three consecutive games coming in, Charlotte played with the sense of urgency needed to pick up a big win against a team that had not won a game on the road all season.
Charlotte was able to find a more balanced attack Saturday as the team had four players finish in double figures. Guard Jahmir Young led all scorers with 26 on the day which backcourt-mate Clyde Trapp Jr finished with 19. Guard Austin Butler tallked 17, while Center Aly Khalifa chipped in with 10 points to go along with a team-high six assists.
Charlotte was in control for a large portion of the first half as the team was able to work through its offense with precision to get the ball inside and score 10 of its first 15 points inside the paint and control the temp. Colonial Head Coach Jamion Christian looked to his bench to provide a spark. It came in the form of guard Bryan Knapp who hit two consecutive threes to give George Washington a 19-15 edge which led to a Colonial 11-0 run. Charlotte, however, would make a run of its own, going on a 15-2 run to snatch the lead back and eventually take a 41-29 lead into halftime. By halftime, four of the Niners five starters were shooting at least 50% from the field.; a sign that the team looked to lessen its reliance on the three and take advantage of the smaller George Washington lineup. Charlotte guard Jahmir Young led all scorers at the break with 16 points while shooting a very efficient 4-7 from the field and 3-5 from deep.
After the break, Clyde Trapp Jr. opened Charlotte’s first possession of the half with a big three-pointer to push the lead up to 15. Charlotte’s offense then went back to work surgically moving the ball inside to find senior Austin Butler for a quick four points on the low-block post-up and in the cutting lanes. Charlotte’s 10-0 run early in the second half was enough to keep the game out of reach for George Washington as the team never trailed in the second half.
“What they did well today is they played hard. As long as they continue to play hard and have great attitudes, then we’ll live with whatever comes”, said Ron Sanchez following the game.
