49ers Top Presbyterian For Consuegra’s First Coaching Victory
Charlotte, NC – Charlotte women’s basketball coach Cara Consuegra earned her first collegiate victory as a head coach as the 49ers defeated Presbyterian College, 58-42, in their season opener in Halton Arena on Friday night. Despite getting off to a slow start in the first half, the Niners (1-0) went on a 14-0 run to open the second half and never looked back.
“It wasn’t the prettiest game, but it was good to get out, get our feet under us and get that first win,” Consuegra said of the victory. “It was almost a relief. [I was told beforehand that] every women’s coach has won their opener here, so I was glad to live up to that expectation.”Epiphany Woodson led the 49ers with 12 points. Ayanna Holmes scored 10 points in her first college game. Katie Meador recorded her first career double-figure scoring game with 10 points off the bench. Gabby Tyler nearly recorded a double-double with eight points and 12 rebounds.
The 49ers enjoyed a 48-31 advantage on the boards which led to a 20-4 advantage in second chance points. Tyler led the 49ers with 12 rebounds. Amanda Dowe tallied 11 boards in the game.
The 49ers took a three-point lead into the locker room at half time, after looking a little sluggish on offense. The women went 11-for-30 in team shooting in the first frame, with Epiphany Woodson leading the charge with 10 first-half points.
Consuegra had some wise words for her team at the break. “I challenged them to play better defensively, get up, pressure, disrupt. I was very pleased with how we came out in the second half.”
Holmes opened the second half with a fast break teardrop layup in the lane, and then followed up with a three-pointer to put the Niners up 35-27. Charlotte went on to score another nine unanswered points, including a nice three-point play by Jennifer Hailey to go up 46-27.
Presbyterian didn’t make a basket until the 13:02 mark of the second half, when Shonda Burnside nailed a jumper in the paint.
The Niners were up by as many as 17 in the second half, but Presbyterian began chipping away at the lead as the second half wore on, cutting the deficit by eight points with 9:15 remaining. But Charlotte stayed calm and put the game out of reach in the final seven minutes.
Meador, who sat the majority of the first half after picking up two quick fouls, hit two key second half three pointers to seal the 49ers’ victory. She finished with 10 points, all coming in the second frame, also picking up two blocked shots and a steal in 15 minutes.
As a team, Charlotte shot 37.3% from the field, including 55.6% from three-point-range on 5-for-9 attempts. The Niners held Presbyterian to 30.8% shooting in the game.
Charlotte returns to Halton Arena on Sunday, Nov. 13th when they host Arkansas State in a non-league matchup beginning at 2 p.m.
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