‘We are getting there:’ 49ers’ Reed sees improvement

CHARLOTTE ATHLETICS

Alexis Andrews scored 15 of her team-best 17 points for the Charlotte 49ers against East Carolina Wednesday but dropped to 0-5 in the American Conference after losing 72-65.

No one wants to lose to a rival, especially Tomekia Reed.

Amid Charlotte women’s basketball falling to 5-11 and 0-5 in American Conference play after Wednesday’s 72-65 loss to East Carolina, there were a few bright spots that Reed can cling to and try to replicate for 40 minutes. After challenging the 49ers’ intensity Tulane on Jan. 4, Reed felt much better about the level of fight against East Carolina.

“I thought they did a good job, and they played extremely hard,” she said. “I thought they really wanted this win. We worked really hard all week. We just had some flat moments. We had some moments where the team didn't play together. We had players kind of want to do their own thing. And, you know, we got kind of rushed and kind of panicked a little bit. But once we learn how to keep that composure for four quarters and just be solid and stick to the game plan, I think we'll be fine. But as a coach, you want your team to fight, and I'm just thankful that they did fight. They fought to the end, and we just came up short again.”

One bright spot was the pivot prowess displayed by 49ers’ center, Jayla Kelly. Kelly drew the assignment of guarding the Pirates’ leading scorer Amiya Joyner, who had just three points despite averaging 14.7 per game. Kelly finished with 12 points, six rebounds and four assists.

“I was getting into her,” Kelly said. “We talked about that in practice. [Joyner] gets frustrated. If she doesn’t get the ball going, she'll put her head down and get mad, so I was just doing what I could to get in her head, not let her get easy touches, and if she does get it, I’m up on her. So that was my mindset – not to let her score.”

Charlotte played Kelly as well as power forward Keanna Rembert simultaneously, which led to 49er scoring runs. Charlotte ran out to a 29-23 lead midway through the second quarter with the two of them on the floor. Then, down 12 in the fourth quarter, both Kelly and Rembert were in together and the 49ers cut the deficit to five.

“Those two work well together,” Reed said. “They are a good pair when you’re talking about high low game. They work well off each other, and then they bring a lot of height to the floor defensively. So that is a match that we want to keep on the floor as much as we can. The problem that we go into is when one gets in foul trouble, and so now they have to begin to play for each other. Sub one in and sub one out.… It’s really good to have them on the floor at all times and we tell them to stay out of foul trouble so we can get you guys on the floor.”

Another bright spot was the sharpshooting of guard Alexis Andrews, who hit 5-for-10 shots from three-point range and scored a team-high 17 points. Reed admitted she should have played Andrews more in the second half, where she scored just two points.

“I told my staff, she’s got to be on the floor,” Reed said. “We pulled her because we were small in the lineup. She was playing on the backside of our zone, and they were just rebounding the ball over her, so we had to put somebody bigger at that spot, but that was supposed to be for a moment, and not for that long.

“But nevertheless, we’re growing. We’ll grow from it. She’s a heck of a player, and she should have been on the floor, and she'll be on that floor a lot more.”

Reed believes success isn’t far away.

“One thing that I do know is that my staff and I, we have players on the team who have played in those championship moments,” she said. “We are getting there. We just have to correct those small places.”

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