January 14, 2012; Charlotte, NC, USA; Saint Louis Billikens forward Brian Conklin (14) rallies his teammates before the game against the Charlotte 49ers at Halton Arena at UNCC. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-US PRESSWIRE
Written by
The Sports Network
Charlotte, NC (Sports Network) - Cody Ellis notched 17 points and grabbed seven rebounds off the bench to lead the Saint Louis Billikens to a tight 68-67 victory over the Charlotte 49ers in Atlantic 10 Conference action at Dale F. Halton Arena.
Mike McCall, Jr. added 16 points in the win for the Billikens (14-4, 2-2 A-10), while Brian Conklin netted 14 points. Kwamain Mitchell finished with 13 points as well for Saint Louis.
Javarris Barnett posted a game-high 23 points to lead the way for Charlotte (9-7, 2-2), which also got 10 points apiece from the trio of DeMario Mayfield, Chris Braswell, and Pierria Henry.
Charlotte limited the Billikens to just 40.0 percent from the field during the opening period of play to earn a 34-26 halftime advantage.
The Billikens turned things around in the second stanza, however, hitting 54.5 percent from the field to completely erase the deficit with over 13 minutes remaining. Saint Louis led by as many as 13 with four minutes remaining, but the 49ers made it interesting with a late rally. A three-pointer by Barnett with three seconds left made it a one-point game, but the 49ers did not get to attempt a shot after McCall, Jr's missed free throw on the other end.
The 49ers were guilty of a game-high 22 giveaways during the contest.
GAME NOTES:
The Sports Network