DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Redshirt junior Tyzhaun Claude led Western Carolina with 15 points and nine rebounds, but Charlotte used a torrid second half comeback to earn a 65-56 win over the Catamounts in the first round of the 2023 Discount Tire College Basketball Invitational held at the Ocean Center.
 
Charlotte improves to 19-14 and will play in the quarterfinals on Monday evening. WCU sees its season end at 18-16. Saturday's game was just the fourth time during the program's NCAA Division I era that the Catamounts have played in a postseason tournament.
 
Claude's 15 points came as the Goldsboro, N.C., native finished 7-for-12 from the field and added a free throw in his lone attempt. Tre Jackson added nine points while Bernard Pelote contributed nine points off the bench. Colin Granger tied a career-high with six points.
 
Brice Williams led four Charlotte players in double figures with a game-high 20 points and also snagged 10 rebounds for a double-double. Lu'Cye Patterson finished with 16 points followed by Igor Milicic and Aly Khalifa with 11.
 
The Catamounts opened the game on an 8-0 run capped by a Pelote dunk at the 15:04 mark following a steal. Charlotte responded with eight of the next 10 points as WCU held a 10-8 advantage at the under-12 media timeout. After a Patterson layup made the score 12-10 in favor of WCU, the Catamounts went on a 10-2 run with a Granger layup giving WCU a 22-12 advantage with just over seven minutes left before the half. Charlotte pulled within five points, 22-17, but the Catamounts carried a 31-20 lead into halftime despite neither team scoring for the final 3:17 of the period.
 
Charlotte opened the second half on an 11-2 run, trimming the WCU lead to 33-31 after a Khalifa layup with 15:43 left. The 49ers took their first lead of the game, 36-35, on a Patterson jumper at the 13:50 mark. WCU answered with a 7-0 spurt to reclaim a 42-36 lead with just over 12 minutes left. Charlotte used a 7-2 spurt to grab a 45-44 edge with 7:09 remaining in the game.
 
After Pelote completed a three-point play for a 47-45 Catamount edge at the 6:24 mark, Charlotte regained the lead on its next possession. Vonterius Woolbright brought WCU within two, 52-50, with 4:24 remaining before the 49ers used an 8-0 run over the next three minutes to build a 60-50 edge. The Catamounts got no closer than eight points in the waning moments.
 
WCU finished 25-for-53 (47 percent) from the field but tied a season-low with just three 3-pointers, going 3-for-20 (15 percent) behind the arc. The Catamounts were 3-for-7 (43 percent) at the free throw line. Charlotte was 20-for-52 (38 percent) from the field, 8-for-22 (36 percent) on 3-point attempts, and 17-for-19 (89 percent) at the free throw line. Both teams grabbed 32 rebounds.
 
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