Feb. 28, 2013
Charlotte 63, VCU 54 | CHARLOTTE HIGHLIGHTS | CHARLOTTE POSTGAME | FORNEY BUZZER-BEATER
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - The Charlotte women's basketball team picked up victory No. 600 in program history when it captured a school-record 12th in a row this season, handing VCU a 63-54 Senior Night setback Thursday evening inside Halton Arena. The 49ers, playing in their 38th campaign, needed 1,060 games to reach the 600th triumph for a 56.6 all-time win percentage.
The victory was also the 12th straight, surpassing a pair of 11-game runs from Jan. 11, 1979, to Feb. 7, 1979, and from Dec. 8, 1980, to Jan. 21, 1981. Charlotte (23-4, 12-1 A-10), which locked up a first-round bye at the upcoming Atlantic 10 Tournament following Sunday's triumph at La Salle, accomplished Thursday's win with conference player of the year candidate, senior Jennifer Hailey, having her double-double streak snapped at a dozen.
Hailey finished with eight points and eight rebounds, playing just 23 minutes due to foul trouble. She often faced four defenders around her in the low block but still came away with a career-high tying four steals. She also added a pair of blocked shots, tying her own single-season school record set a year ago with 73, which also extended her consecutive games streak with at least one rejection to 39.
To make up for her scoring absence, the Niners turned to a trio of starters to register double-figure points. Junior Ny Hammonds and sophomore Hillary Sigmon shared team-high honors with 14, while senior Jai Forney chipped in 14 in her final home contest.
The program's other senior, Amanda Dowe, led the battle on the glass with 15 rebounds, helping the 49ers to a 43-to-27 edge on the boards. She nearly had a double-double, pouring in nine points.
Charlotte's dominance in the rebounding column was helped by the fact that all eight players who saw action grabbed at least two boards. It is the first time this season and third overall under head coach Cara Consuegra the Niners have accomplished that feat.
VCU was guided by Robyn Parks' 25 points, including 11-of-13 at the foul line and 16 in the second half. Also coming alive in the second 20 minutes for the Rams was Jessica Pellechio, who netted 16 of her 18 points during the second stanza and connected on four of the team's five 3-pointers.
The first half was a nip-and-tuck affair early until an 8-2 spurt, capped by a Hammonds triple at 13:29, pushed the 49ers' advantage to 12-6. A pair of Parks jumpers sandwiched another Hammonds trey, keeping VCU (10-18, 3-10 A-10) within five, 15-10, at the 11:23 mark.
Neither team would score for the next 4:36 when a Kaneisha Atwater jumper broke the drought and trimmed the deficit to three, 15-12. The two squads combined for seven turnovers and nine missed opportunities during the stretch.
It would be over a minute again before the nets were warmed up, but following a Parks jumper at the 3:25 mark to cut the gap to four, 20-16, it would be all Charlotte to end the period. The home-standing 49ers closed the half on a 15-1 spurt, including three free throws by Sigmon with 43 seconds left after she was fouled behind the arc just seconds after burying a long-range bomb.
Sigmon would go on to score eight-straight points for the Niners down the stretch. Charlotte had one last chance following a Carleeda Green miss with four seconds to play. Sigmon inbounded the ball to Forney at the midcourt stripe. She then turned and launched a 40-footer towards the basket. Her heave banked off the glass and through the hoop, sending the Halton Arena crowd into a frenzy and providing her team with a 35-17 halftime cushion.
The Rams did not let the final first-half blow haunt them, as Pellechio came out of the break by draining a 3-pointer on the first possession just nine seconds into the frame. A turn-around jumper in the lane by freshman Alexis Alexander kept Charlotte on top by 19, 43-24, with 16:23 to play.
From there, however, the Niners offense would go cold. Parks recorded six points in an 11-0 VCU run that covered nearly three minutes, slicing the margin to single digits, 43-35, at 13:33. The 49ers responded with a 10-0 spurt during the next 4:10, including a Sigmon triple and old-fashioned three-point play from Dowe at 10:13.
Again, the Rams went on the offensive. They would once again trim the deficit to eight on a Green 3-pointer with 5:38 left despite Charlotte calling a 30-second timeout just prior to set up a defensive scheme. It was the final points of an 11-1 stretch.
VCU continued to battle hard, using a pair of Pellechio treys to cut the gap to seven, 59-52, with exactly two minutes to play. A Sigmon 3-pointer between the two padded the Niners cushion enough to not be threatened as the Rams would only take four more attempts from the floor in the last 2:00.
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Dayton 71, Saint Louis 61 | DAYTON POSTGAME ST. LOUIS – #12/12 University of Dayton women’s basketball defeated Saint Louis 71-61 Thursday night at Chaifetz Arena to clinch at least a share of the Atlantic 10 regular season title. The Flyers improve to 25-1 overall and 13-0 in the Atlantic 10 with just one conference game left to play. The 25 wins ties a school record for victories in a season since UD became an NCAA Division I school in 1985-86. The Billikens drop to 11-17 overall and 5-8 in A-10 play.
Sophomore Andrea Hoover led the Flyers with 16 points. Fellow sophomore Ally Malott also scored in double figures, putting up 12 points. Senior Sam MacKay and freshman Amber Deane both added nine points and freshman Jodie Cornelie-Sigmundova chipped in eight points.
For only the third time this season, the Flyers were outrebounded. SLU won that battle 40-38.
Dayton held its largest lead, a 20-point advantage, with 9:27 to play but the Billikens fought back to get as close as six with 1:27 left in the game.
The Flyers led 33-19 at the half. The 19 points allowed was the second lowest amount of points the Flyers have allowed this season; and it marks the seventh time this season UD has held an opponent to 19 points or lower in a half. With the game tied at six 18:19 into the game, the Flyers used a 21-6 run over an eight-minute span to jump out to a 27-12 lead midway through the first half.
UD held its largest lead, 32-15, when Hoover hit one of her three treys with 6:35 left. The Flyers could not build on the lead after missing on their last seven field goal attempts of the half.
The Flyers’ last home game of the season is against Saint Joseph’s this Sunday, March 3 at 2 p.m. This game will be nationally televised on ESPN2. It is a WHITE OUT and fans who wear white shirts get in for $1. Prior to the game, seniors Olivia Applewhite, Sam MacKay and Brittany Wilson will be honored.
Due to increased attendance, it is recommended to get your tickets early the day of the game Sunday (the Ticket Office opens 1 hour before tip), buy them at the men's game Saturday (until halftime), or call the ticket office at 229-4433.
