Davis' 27 points helps Charlotte beat Rice 79-69 in C-USA
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) Jon Davis scored 27 points and seventh-seeded Charlotte beat No. 10 seed Rice 79-69 in a Conference USA second-round matchup on Wednesday night.
The 49ers (14-18) will face second-seeded Middle Tennessee (21-9) in the quarterfinals on Thursday.
Charlotte led for much of the game, but an 8-0 run - capped by Marcus Evans' layup with 7:54 to go - put Rice up 58-57. After some back and forth, the 49ers retook the lead for good 2 1/2 minutes later on a pair of Curran Scott free throws, followed by a Davis 3-pointer assisted by Scott.
The 49ers sank 8 of 10 free throws in the last minute to seal it.
Braxton Ogbueze scored 19 points for Charlotte, while Joseph Uchebo had 12 points and grabbed 18 rebounds.
Rice (12-20) was led by Evans with 27 points. Egor Koulechov scored 17 points with 12 rebounds and Andrew Drone added 15 points.