Drought over: Charlotte women’s basketball win at home

CHARLOTTE ATHLETICS

Charlotte women's basketball coach Tomekia Reed gives instructions during the 49ers' 73-59 win against Wichita State Wednesday at Halton Arena, their first home victory in 58 days.

Charlotte women’s basketball got their first home win in 58 days.

The 49ers beat Wichita State 73-59 Wednesday for not just their first home win in 58 days, but their first American Conference home win of the season. For coach Tomekia Reed, it signals growth.

“It feels amazing,” Reed said, “and I'm just so proud of the players. I can see that they really wanted it. I think all week long they have been really working extremely hard for this victory. I’m just so proud of this team. They could have thrown in the towel a long time ago, but they haven’t. And I see them get better every game, whether we win or lose. I see us getting better.”

Charlotte guard Alexis Andrews finished with a season-high 27 points in 30 minutes. Reed has talked frequently about making sure Andrews stayed confident and such performances would come.

“I’m just extremely proud of her,” Reed said. “She has definitely stepped up in the last few games, and she has met the challenge. When your coach is asking you to shoot, I mean shoot it. … And she did just that. I’m so excited about the energy she brought to the floor.”

Andrews contends it wasn’t a lightbulb moment, but rather something that has been building over the season.

“That didn't just come tonight,” she said. “It's been a buildup over time, over games, of just my coaches having confidence in me and knowing I can do it. I’ve got to believe that myself, and that’s what I did tonight.”

Forward Keanna Rembert posted a team-high plus-16 for Charlotte (8-15, 3-9). She finished with 19 points and five rebounds.

“I was just getting to the basket,” Rembert said. “My teammates put me in the right position to score.”

Said Reed: “Keanna is my type of player, and her size, she can handle the ball, she can shoot the outside shot, and she can post up and play with her back to the basket. She can also defend bigs and she can also defend guards. She's an all-around player. She's what we call a CDIA – can do it all – and I’m just extremely happy that she’s playing with a lot of confidence.”

The 49ers, who go to East Carolina on Saturday, have an opportunity to even the season series after losing to the Pirates by seven at Halton Arena on Jan. 15.

“I tell you what, against ECU… we’ve got to rebound,” Reed said. “We have to rebound the ball. We’ve got to handle that pressure, because they're going to press us the entire game, and we’ve got to handle that pressure and handle that zone defense. I think that’s what caused us some problems in the last game. We’re going to enjoy this one tonight. We’ll wake up tomorrow and get into our film session and really prepare for ECU.”

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