By Dan Gelston
The Associated Press

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - With Indiana's big men lacking passion and production, coach Mike Davis turned to A.J Moye to bail out the Hoosiers down the stretch.

Bracey Wright scored 17 points and Tom Coverdale added 13 as No 17 Indiana beat Charlotte 70-60 Saturday in Davis' first game since serving a one-game suspension.

Davis missed this week's victory over Ball State for his on-court outburst at a referee during a loss to Kentucky. Davis was subdued for most of the game and didn't do much talking with the officials. There wasn't much to complain about - except for Indiana's frontcourt - though Charlotte made the game interesting for most of the second half.

Without the usual output from power forward Jeff Newton and center George Leach, the Hoosiers (10-2) needed a late 11-4 run to put Charlotte (5-6) away.

Newton, who was averaging 15.1 points and 10.5 rebounds, had two points and six rebounds in 30 minutes. Leach's numbers also were below average.

"I was so disappointed in our inside players and their approach to the game," Davis said. "You play a team like Charlotte, a team we should beat by 25, and we come out with no fight. I wanted to make a statement today that if you're not playing hard, you're coming out."

So down the stretch, the Hoosiers turned to Moye and they needed him.

The 49ers trailed by 19 points late in the first half, but Demon Brown hit three 3-pointers in the first six minutes of the second and they eventually cut it to 56-46 after three free throws by Chris Sager with 8:22 remaining.

Brown led Charlotte with 16 points and Sager had 14.

Then Moye, Indiana's spark plug off the bench with the easily chantable name, rallied the Hoosiers in their run.

He made two free throws to push the lead to 12, hit a jumper and then scored on a putback for a 67-50 lead.

On cue, the sound of "A-J Moy-ay" filled Assembly Hall. He scored 11 points and grabbed eight rebounds.

"I thought Moye came in and did a great job with his intensity and his effort. That's what we're looking for," Davis said. "If we don't have Moye today, I think we win, but it's a tougher fight without him."

For Moye, providing energy off the bench was nothing new.

"That's just me. I don't have to do nothing," he said. "I'm like that off the court. You should all know that by now."

Indiana had 11 3-pointers in 24 attempts, as its 48 percent shooting from the field was six percent above its average.

Moye wasn't concerned about an off game from Newton and Leach.

"Those guys have carried us many games," Moye said. "We haven't given them anything from the perimeter or off the bench. It's just a game to get it out of the system. I'm glad it happened know."

The Hoosiers did give Davis something to smile about at the end of the game when Kyle Hornsby drove the lane for a layup then hit a free throw. The three-point play was a rarity for Hornsby, who entered the game with 22 3-pointers out of 32 field goals.

Hornsby scored 13 points.

Indiana led 18-11 with 11:05 left in the first half, then went on a 11-0 run and took a 36-22 halftime lead. The Hoosiers made nine of their first 13 shots and went 6-for-11 from 3-point range in the half.

"I knew they were going to break out," Charlotte coach Bobby Lutz said. "We did a decent job on their inside game, but we weren't able to stop them on the perimeter."

Newton was scoreless in the half and Leach had four points, allowing the 49ers to stay close early.

"We need for these guys to play with passion," Davis said. "I know their personalities are laid back and quiet but that has nothing to do with playing basketball."

CHARLOTTE (5-6)-Johnson 4-9 3-5 11, Basden 3-8 0-0 6, Reed 0-3 0-0 0, Nash 1-6 0-0 2, Brown 5-17 2-3 16, Withers 1-4 0-0 2, Grier 1-4 0-0 2, Baldwin 2-4 1-2 5, Sager 3-7 5-5 14, Best 0-0 2-2 2. Totals 20-62 13-17 60.

INDIANA (10-2)-Newton 1-7 0-1 2, Leach 0-2 4-7 4, Coverdale 4-8 2-2 13, Wright 5-12 4-5 17, Hornsby 5-7 1-1 13, Moye 4-5 2-2 11, Perry 2-2 0-0 5, Strickland 1-2 0-0 3, Kline 0-1 2-2 2. Totals 22-46 15-20 70.

Halftime-Indiana 36-22. 3-Point goals-Charlotte 7-23 (Brown 4-13, Sager 3-5, Withers 0-1, Baldwin 0-1, Johnson 0-1, Nash 0-2), Indiana 11-25 (Coverdale 3-7, Wright 3-8, Hornsby 2-4, Moye 1-2, Perry 1-2, Strickland 1-2). Rebounds-Charlotte 37 (Basden 10), Indiana 36 (Newton, Leach, Coverdale 6). Assists-Charlotte 9 (Basden 6), Indiana 11 (Coverdale 4). Totals fouls-Charlotte 20, Indiana 16. A-15,449.