The Charlotte 49ers celebrate after being crowned champions of GSU Thanksgiving Classic. Photo courtesy Charlotte Media Relations
The Charlotte 49ers women’s basketball team captured their first in-season tournament championship under head coach Cara Consuegra this past weekend, Nov. 28 and 29, winning the GSU Thanksgiving Classic. The 49ers put together two complete second-half performances in back-to-back games, beating Mercer and Georgia State by a 22-point combined margin.
“I think a tournament like that is really set up well for our team,” Consuegra said. “I think our team has great depth and great versatility among our roster. Overall, I’m very pleased on what we did over two days.”
Charlotte played games on consecutive days proving their offensive versatility, successfully operating the half-court offense in the latter match against Georgia State.
“Our transition, we struggled a bit because we weren’t getting stops but as our defense improves we’ll have those opportunities to get out and run,” Consuegra said. “It’s not a bad thing for us right now because that forces us to execute in the half-court. We didn’t shoot the three as dangerously as we did in a couple games to start the season and I see that as a positive because we were forced to execute our offense without making threes.”
Seniors Alexis Alexander and Kira Gordon stole the show as they combined for 56 points over the course of two games returning to their roots in Atlanta, Ga.
“I’m super proud of them,” Consuegra said. “I was really proud of those two going into those games with a great amount of maturity. They were solid, they were consistent. Lexi is a dominant force inside and would’ve had even bigger numbers if she didn’t have foul trouble [against Georgia State] today. Kira, her versatility as usual. She can guard pretty much anybody on the court. I think overall those two showed Atlanta who they are.”
The tournament acted as a stepping stone for freshman point guard Laia Raventós as well. In the two games, Raventós tallied 13 assists while scoring 21 points increasing her per game average in both offensive categories.
“She’s becoming more comfortable,” Consuegra said. “She’s been able to stay out of foul trouble which is helping her get into a better rhythm on the court. I think she’s growing more comfortable and she’s starting to become really confident in her role. Because of those two things fans are starting to see what we know she’s capable of. She has an uncanny ability to make plays. She’s done a tremendous job finding players underneath the basket and it’s a lot of fun to watch. She’s only going to get better and better as she becomes more comfortable.”
Over the course of the two games Ciara Gregory recorded 27 points. Additionally, while Gregory was on the floor, Charlotte outscored their opponents by 33 points. Freshman guard Grace Hunter set a personal best and a team-high hauling in 24 rebounds in the 49ers triumph.
Looking ahead, the 49ers return home for a matchup with NC Central, Wed. Dec. 2 in Halton Arena. Charlotte will look to extend their current win streak to three games. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.