Grace Hunter. Photo by Benjamin Robson
After a bye on Thursday, the 49ers (12-9, 5-5) traveled to Old Dominion (10-12, 6-4) Saturday, Feb. 6 to face the Monarchs. After a competitive contest, the Monarchs came out on top beating the 49ers 94-85.
Four out of the five starters ended the night in double-digits. Reigning C-USA Freshman of the Week Grace Hunter had yet another career-night scoring 27 points. Kira Gordon and Lefty Webster both registered 14 points while Laia Raventós scored 12. There were a lot of 49ers in foul trouble Saturday night. Alexis Alexander fouled out, Hunter, Gordon, Webster and Raventós all finished with four fouls apiece.
Charlotte came out strong in the first quarter. Hunter made her presence known right out of the gate, scoring the first points for the 49ers. Hunter would go on to tally a total of six points in the first quarter. Alexander wasn’t too far behind her, racking up four points. Griffin Dempsey hit the only three of the quarter. The team also had a total of ten rebounds during the first quarter. As the first ten minutes ran out, Charlotte was ahead, 17-13.
Ciara Gregory emerged in the second quarter, racking up seven points. Hunter kept up her pace and broke into double-digits with five points in the second quarter. ODU picked up their pace as well, outscoring the 49ers 40-36 going into the half. Charlotte shot 50 percent behind the arc in the first half. They also recorded seven assists and 15 rebounds.
In the third quarter, Raventós and Webster stepped up scoring seven and six points respectively. Hunter was subdued, only posting three free-throws. The Monarchs pulled away in the third quarter, making it 67-58 going into the fourth.
Hunter came back to life in the final ten minutes, scoring five points. Gordon came into action scoring ten points. The 49ers recorded eight rebounds in the last quarter. Their efforts were not enough, however, and Old Dominion secured the win 94-85.
The 27 points Hunter scored gave her a new career-high. Her ten rebounds allowed for her second straight double-double, the fifth of season. This was the first game in her career in which Hunter played all 40 minutes of the game.
Gordon is inching closer and closer to entering the 1,000 point club. With her 14 points scored against the Monarchs puts her at 995 career points as a 49er. She is on track to become the 21st member of the club.
This game marks the third consecutive game that Charlotte has put up over 85 points, which is the longest streak under head coach Cara Consuegra. The 49er look to continue the streak as they travel to Texas to battle Rice Thursday, Feb. 11.