UNCC BASKETBALL PREVIEW
H. -1
iu(
Mk
■ tt^ CwvcJUjAaj ^OWUMjJi
Volume XI, Number 16
The Student Newspaper of tlie University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Charlotte, North Carolina
December 3, 1975
Pers win opener, down Eastern Kenkucky 96-80
S By Ron Green
? A new era in
^NCC basketball opened
'wccessfully as the 49ers
gave Lee Rose his first
victory at the school with
an impressive 96-80 win
over Eastern Kentucky.
The game played in
Richmond, Kentucky, was
an opportunity for Rose to
Jeturn to his old tramping
ground. A successful coach
at Transylvania College in
|iearby Lexington, Rose
Ironically returned home
for his UNCC debut and
the performance of his
squad left long time Rose
friends amazed.
The 49ers came out
blazing, connecting on 78%
of their shots in the first
half to assume a
(:ommanding lead over the
poorly-disciplined Colonels.
||tlNCC jumped out in front
^3-4 after breaking a 4-4
deadlock and were even
headed. Hitting 14 of their
17 shots, UNCC soon
sopened the lead to as many
(as 18 points. At halftime
the 49ers held a 55-41 lead
■and already had four
players in double figures.
Eastern Kentucky
played its best stretch of
basketball just , after
intermission and whittled
the UNCC lead to eight
points with just under
fifteen minutes remaining.
The visitors scored eight
quick points and stretched
the margin to 20 points
with seven minutes left.
The 49ers cooled off
slightly in the final half but
still hit an amazing 65.5
percent of their shots for
the game. They placed six
men in double figures led
by Cedric Maxwell with 24
points. Maxwell combined
with Lew . Massey, Kevin
King and Don Pearce to'
give the 49ers complete
control underneath.
Maxwell claimed 10
rebounds while Massey
pulled down 13. In
addition, the quartet of
front courters hit 28 of 36
field - goal attemts., To go
along with Maxwell’s 24
points, Massey added 18,
King 16, Skip Shipman 14,
Bob Ball 12, and Pearce 10.
When informed his
team was hitting nearly 80
percent of their shots from
the floor in the first half,
Rose said, “1 couldn’t
believe it. You just don’t
do that, very often. Overall,
irolina Journal photo by Russell Long
I was pleased for many
reasons. Our execution was
outstanding and anytime
you hit well everything
looks good. The shooting
was just exceptional. I’ve
never been associated with
a team that hit 78 percent
in a half.”
The idea of returning
home was one which Rose
said involved “ So many
mixed emotions that to try
to express it in one or two
phrases would be foolish.
I’ve spent almost my entire
life here. There were so
many unknown variables
that hadn’t been answered
about the team. But
everything turned just
great.”
Carolina Journal photo by Russell Long
Lew Massey rejects Morehead State shot.
UNCC survives scare,
defeats Morehead State 86-79
Cedric Maxwell controls tip for 49ers.
By Ron Green
B e f o re the
UNCC 49ers left Charlotte
on their, season-opening
road trip to Kentucky,
Assistant Coach Everett
Bass said if the 49ers won
their two opening games,
they would be off to
a“super, super start.” They
are off to such a start as
they defeated Morehead
State in the losers gym
86-79 to run their record to
2-0.
The second victory
did not come as easily as the
49ers initial win. They got
out to an early lead but
could never establish a
margin of more than eight
to ten' points. The 49ers
shooting cooled off from
'the torrid pace of the
opening game. They
managed to hit on just
under 50% of their shots
throughout the contest.
The Eagles battled back
near the end of the first
half and trailed 39-38 at
halftime.
Midway into the
second half, Morehead
State tied the game at 66
apiece by outscoring the
49ers 10 to 2 in a brief
spurt. From that point on
the contest was nip and
tuck to the wire. The
Eagles went ahead by a
point with 2:46 to play
when freshman guard Brad
LeMaster hit two foul
shots, his first points as a
collegian. Bob Ball sent
UNCC back on top, 79-78
with a long jump shot and
Melvin Watkins put the
49ers up by three on what
had to be considered the
outstanding play of the
game. In the left side of the
lane, Watkins faked
outside, then reversed his
dribble beautifully and
scored on a layup.
UNCC Center Cedric
Maxwell clinched the
victory with a three point
play with 30 seconds
remaining. He pulled down
a stray 49er shot and was
fouled on his follow shot to
give UNCC an 84-78
advantage.
A key to the UNCC
success was their complete
domination on both the
offensive and the defensive
boards. The 49ers generally
limited the shorter Eagles
to one shot per possession
while they received two
and three each time down
the court. UNCC
outrebounded Morehead
State 56-28 for the game.
Maxwell claimed 20
rebounds while Kevin King
pulled down 10 and Lew
Massey gathered in nine
more.
UNCC placed four
players in double figures
led by sophomore Massey.
He hit 12 of 19 from the
field and finished tied for
game-high honors with
Morehead State’s Herbie
Stamper totalling 26 points.
Also in double figures for
the 49ers were Maxwell
with 21, King with 18 and
Watkins with 13.
Despite foul trouble
the 49ers were able to hold
off the scapping Eagles.
Cedric Maxwell, Lew
Massey, Bob Ball, and
Kevin King were each in
foul trouble and finished
the game with four
personals.