TULSA, Okla. — Momentum out of the half brought Charlotte to the brink of a 20-point comeback victory.

Tulsa held on to hand the 49ers a fourth consecutive loss, 79-74, at the Donald W. Reynolds Center on Wednesday.

“There are no simple games in this conference; every night is a battle,” head coach Aaron Fearne said. “The guys fought. They brought the competitive spirit that it takes to overcome good teams. It just has to be for a full 40 minutes — playing from behind puts a lot of pressure on a team, especially on the road when the crowd is behind the other team.”

Charlotte gained ground late in the first half and carried that momentum into the second, opening with a 6-0 run to force a Tulsa timeout less than two minutes in. The Golden Hurricane’s lead was trimmed to 41-36 with 18:17 remaining.

Back-to-back 3-pointers from Damoni Harrison, part of a 6-for-8 stretch from the field, set up Ben Bradford’s layup through contact and subsequent free throw to tie the game at 60-all.

Harrison’s interior jumper on the next possession gave Charlotte its first lead of the night before Tulsa heated up again. The hosts hit a program-record-tying 18 3-pointers in the game, with Miles Barnstable’s 15th and 16th pushing the lead to 69-64 as part of his game-high 25 points. 

Anton Bonke’s transition block created another opportunity for the 49ers, though. 

Dezayne Mingo answered with a 3-pointer to tie it at 69-all. After another Tulsa basket from deep, Harrison responded to knot the score again at 72-72. At that point, Charlotte was shooting 68 percent in the second half, including 6-for-10 from beyond the arc.

The spurts, however, were not enough to create separation, and Charlotte continued playing catch-up in the closing minutes. Tylen Riley’s 3-pointer and pair of free throws provided the five-point push Tulsa needed to close it out.

The first half created the uphill climb.

Charlotte’s offense in the opening eight minutes consisted of four 3-pointers. Tulsa matched with four of its own, and when the 49ers went cold, the Golden Hurricane surged ahead.

A 16-0 Tulsa run followed Spencer Elliott’s 3-pointer that tied the game at 12. The run ended when Arden Conyers knocked down a midrange jumper. Bonke then recorded a block and followed with a basket on the next possession.

Tulsa responded with a 10-2 run to extend its lead to 20, its largest of the half, with 3:40 remaining. Charlotte countered with a 12-0 run to nearly cut the deficit to single digits, but Jaylen Lawal’s 3-pointer to end the half pushed the margin back to 41-30 at the break. Forcing five turnovers helped fuel the late push.

Golden Outputs

Mingo, Harrison, and Bonke led Charlotte’s charge. Mingo finished with a team-high 19 points and aided the offense further with nine assists, while Harrison and Bonke finished with 17 apiece right behind him. 

The 49ers shot 64.3 percent in the second half to aid their comeback chances, but were undone by Tulsa’s 43.9-percent mark from outside across its 41 attempts. 

Up Next

Charlotte returns to Halton Arena for Saturday’s Senior Day rivalry clash against East Carolina at noon on ESPN2. The 49ers grabbed a 73-70 win when the two met earlier this year in Greenville.