Charlotte’s Lu’Cye Patterson sank two free throws with 1.7 seconds left as the 49ers earned their first win over a Top 25 team in 14 years, upsetting No. 17 Florida Atlantic 70-68 on Saturday in Charlotte, N.C.
The game was tied at 68 when Patterson was fouled FAU’s Bryan Greenlee and canned both shots.
The Owls (11-4, 1-1 American Athletic Conference) heaved a deep pass to Vladislav Goldin, who tossed it to Nick Boyd in the corner, but the left-hander’s shot clanged off the iron for the first victory by Charlotte (7-7, 1-1) in three games.
The 49ers’ last win over a ranked team was on Jan. 27, 2010, when they knocked off No. 15 Temple 56-51.
Patterson scored 16 points, while Igor Milicic Jr. had 13 and Nik Graves 10.
Dishon Jackson recorded eight points, nine rebounds, three blocks and two assists for the 49ers, who led by 15 at halftime and as many as 17 points in the second half.
Charlotte improved to 6-1 at home and won for just the second time in the past six games.
Johnell Davis topped the Owls with 20 points, while Boyd scored a season-high 19.
After winning their AAC debut Tuesday at home over East Carolina, FAU failed to find any scoring touch early while the homestanding 49ers hit five straight field goals for a 16-4 lead after eight minutes of action.
Graves drained a pair of 3-pointers to help build the advantage, but the visitors helped by failing to score for almost the first six minutes — finally tallying 5:48 into the contest on Boyd’s layup.
Boyd’s bucket was the only successful one in FAU’s first 11 chances, but the Owls sliced the deficit to nine, 23-14, on Goldin’s layup at 8:27 against their former Conference USA foe.
A trey by Dean Reiber, who had a game-high eight points at the break, closed out the first half’s scoring with Charlotte holding a 41-26 edge.
The 49ers sizzled from the field, making 16 of 29 from the floor (55.2 percent) and sank 5 of 11 from distance (45.5 percent) in the first half.
After its slow start, FAU finished 11-for-26 for the half (42.3 percent) and got six points from Goldin.
–Field Level Media