Charlotte 75, Elon 61

By foxsports
Published

Shamari Spears scored 16 of his 23 points in the second half and Charlotte beat Elon 75-61 on Monday night in the first round of the NIT Season Tip-Off. Rashad Coleman added 11 points and Dijuan Harris had 10 for the 49ers (2-0). They shot 41 percent in advancing to a second-round matchup against No. 9 Duke on Tuesday night. Josh Bonney scored 15 points and Adam Constantine added 11 for the Phoenix (1-1). They will face Coastal Carolina in a consolation game. Charlotte only briefly trailed and gave itself plenty of breathing room with a 25-10 run that bridged halftime. Dijuan Harris' dunk with 6 1/2 minutes before the break made it 20-14 and started the game-breaking spurt. Derrio Green ended the run with a steal and layup that made it 43-24 with 18 minutes remaining, and the 49ers' lead stayed in double figures the rest of the way.