Tomekia Reed, 49ers earn first AAC win of the season

CHARLOTTE ATHLETICS

Roshelle Madison goes up for a shot in Charlotte's 75-68 win against Florida Atlantic in an AAC game in Boca Raton, Florida. The victory was Charlotte coach Tomekia Reed's first in AAC play.

Tomekia Reed’s “burden” is finally off her shoulders.

The 49ers (6-12, 1-6 AAC) secured their first conference win of the season with a 75-68 decision against Florida Atlantic.

Charlotte went into halftime up 10, but the Owls started the third quarter on a 18-2 run to regain the lead. The 49ers showed their resilience with a strong fourth quarter in which they outscored the Owls 24-16 en route to the win.

“Tonight was a great win for our team,” Reed said. “Our team is excited, and it is a big burden off our shoulders. The team has been working extremely hard. We grew up tonight. After the 18-2 scoring run for FAU, we stayed locked in and gave ourselves a chance to win. I am proud of how we kept our composure through thick and thin. They started to press us and caused turnovers to get us out of our rhythm in the second half. Looking at the stat sheet, we were solid from top to bottom.”

Reed has emphasized intensity all season, and Charlotte found a way to use it against FAU, starting with outrebounding the Owls 37-32. They also had fewer turnovers and more bench production.

Charlotte guard Imani Smith — who came in averaging 4.2 points per game — scored 12 off the bench and key baskets down the stretch.

“Smitty is a player that stays confident,” Reed said. “She is not afraid to take the big shots and tonight she came through in the clutch.”

The 49ers shot 38.1% from three-point range with eight made – the second highest number of shots beyond the arc made in a game. The total matched the same output against Tulsa and Miami earlier this season.

Charlotte will look to replicate this performance on Saturday against Rice at Halton Arena.

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