GAME NOTES: Hoping to stop a three-game losing streak, the Charlotte 49ers will host the Florida Atlantic Owls in a Conference USA clash Thursday at Halton Arena.

Charlotte was an even 8-8 on the season, but the three consecutive losses dropped the team back to 8-11, with a 2-5 mark in Conference USA play. The 49ers are also just 3-3 at home this season.

Florida Atlantic finally put a stop to a four-game skid with a 76-62 win over Marshall nearly two weeks ago in the team's last outing. The Owls head to Charlotte sporting an 8-8 record with a 1-4 mark against conference competition, and a 2-6 record away from home.

These two new conference rivals have only met once on the hardwood in their series history - last season, which resulted in a 62-53 Charlotte victory on the road.

Both FAU and Marshall shot the ball well in the two teams' head-to-head matchup 12 days ago, with each program connecting on just over 44 percent of their shots from the floor. But it was the Owls who held the advantage from both the 3-point line and the free-throw line that allowed the team to take the victory. Marquan Botley scored a team-high 23 points in the win for FAU, while Solomon Poole chipped in with 18 points. C.J. Turman narrowly missed a double-double with 13 points and nine rebounds, but Kelvin Penn was able to notch a double-double for the Owls at 12 points and 11 rebounds.

Solomon Poole has played in roughly half of the team's games this season after sitting out a handful of contests in the beginning of the year. But since rejoining the team, he's led the way in scoring with 15.9 ppg through nine outings. Botley is the scoring leader for players that have been present in all 16 contests, adding in a 12.6 ppg mark, while Jackson Trapp has tallied 11.4 ppg for the Owls, who currently average 64.4 ppg as a unit on 42 percent shooting from the field. Penn leads FAU's active rebounder this season, hauling in 7.1 boards per outing.

Charlotte was able to pull way ahead of Middle Tennessee during the first half at the home of the Blue Raiders, and take a 37-27 lead into the intermission. But a furious comeback by the host Raiders allowed Middle Tennessee to gain the lead and take the eventual three-point win, 72-69, over the 49ers, handing them their third straight loss. Torin Dorn led all Charlotte scorers in the contest with 16 points, adding in five rebounds. Keyshawn Woods chipped in with 11 points, and both Willie Clayton and Mike Thorne Jr. added 10 points apiece in the losing effort.

Dorn has only started three games for the 49ers this season, but he's been one of the most productive and the most valuable players for Charlotte. He currently leads the team in scoring this season, averaging 12.7 ppg on 52.5 percent shooting from the field. Pierria Henry is another one of the team's most valuable players, as he checks in with a 10.8 ppg mark, adding in a team- best 112 assists with 5.5 rpg, which is third on the team behind Thorne (6.7 rpg) and Clayton (6.6 rpg). Braxton Ogbueze rounds out a trio of double-digit scorers for the 49ers this season with 10.3 ppg. Charlotte owns one of the better scoring offenses in Conference USA (73.2 ppg) but has the worst scoring defense (73.4 ppg allowed) in the league this season.

It's always a tough challenge to go to a strange environment to try to pick up a win, but the Owls have as good a shot as any against a struggling Charlotte team. Still, if the 49ers can put up another strong outing offensively, they should be able to outpace the Owls.