Photo credit: Sam Roberts, Freeze Frame
The Charlotte Forty-Niners return to action this Monday night when Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) visits, tip off is 7pm at Halton Arena and you can stream it on ESPN+. This will be the second consecutive game against a MEAC opponent to start the 2022-23 non-conference schedule after the 82-59 victory last Monday against Coppin St. The Hawks come to Charlotte with a 1-1 record after a rough outing at Old Dominion followed by a 47 point victory over D3 Bryn Athyn College.
UMES ran a very small lineup against ODU and I don’t expect anything different at Halton. Their tallest starter was 6’5 senior forward Nathaniel Pollard Jr. Pollard Jr shot 7-13 adding 6 rebounds in 26 minutes of play. Another name to keep an eye on Monday is Zion Styles who in just 19 minutes of play scored 18 points on 4-7 shooting. Styles scored 10 in this same matchup last season, which the Niners won 70-54, finishing things off with a 25-9 run over the last 11:33.
There were a lot of positive takeaways from Charlotte’s first game last week, and if the ball is moving as fast as last week there is reason for excitement. The threes were falling often and the team was not relying on one player to be able to score. You could see the confidence from the players in one another. Jackson Threadgill and Aly Khalifa will continue to contribute more than the rest but everyone on this roster who gets minutes is capable on having a great night.
This is the final tune up for the Niners before their trip to the Myrtle Beach Invitational which starts with a matchup against Boise State on Thursday, followed by Loyola of Chicago or Tulsa on Friday. Fans will find exactly what this team is made of over the next week or so, games come one after another with a total of 4 showdowns this week.
Charlotte is currently favored by 12.5 over the Hawk, we’re looking forward to seeing you guys at Halton Arena tonight!
