CHARLOTTE, NC - The Charlotte 49ers (16-12, A-10: 9-5) behind four double-figure scorers cruised past the Massachusetts Minutewomen (11-18, A-10: 5-9), 85-51, for their 12th straight home victory in their final regular-season game.
"It was great for our seniors to play so well on Senior Day," Charlotte coach Karen Aston said. "It was great to send the seniors out on a positive note at home. I thought everyone played good today. It was a fun game to watch. We really shared the basketball. We shot the ball well which bodes well for us heading into next week's A-10 Tournament."
Senior Aysha Jones led the 49ers with 18 points including four three-point field goals in her final regular-season home game. Fellow senior Ashley Spriggs scored 14 points for her ninth double-figure scoring game in the 49ers last ten games. Junior Shannon McCallum tallied 11 points and seven assists. McCallum now only needs to score 13 points to become the 18th player in school history to score 1,000 career points. Freshman Jaquaria Forney rounded out the 49ers double-figure scorers with 10 points. Junior Kendria Holmes added eight points. Senior Erin Floyd scored six points in her final regular-season home game. Eleven 49ers scored at least two points in the game.
Massachusetts' Megan Zullo led the Minutewomen with 11 points.
Charlotte shot 52.2% from the field in the game while limiting UMass to 34% shooting.
Charlotte finished the game with 23 assists and only eight turnovers. McCallum led the 49ers with seven assists. Spriggs added six assists. Four other 49ers had two assists apiece.
Charlotte began the game with an 11-0 run behind the scoring of Spriggs, Jones, Forney and McCallum.
Massachusetts stopped the 49ers opening run with a three from Zullo cutting Charlotte's lead to eight points, 11-3, at the 15:26 mark.
Then, Charlotte outscored UMass, 22-5, over the next eight minutes pushing their lead to 33-8 when Jones connected on one of her four three-point baskets at the 7:39 mark.
The 49ers pushed their first half lead to 28 points, 46-18, when Katie Meador scored at the 2:19 mark.
Massachusetts cut the 49ers' halftime lead to 23 points, 48-25, by scoring seven of the first half's final nine points.
UMass began the second half by scored five of the first seven points cutting the 49ers' lead to 49-30 with 18:27 left in regulation. However, that would be as close as Massachusetts would get to the 49ers as Charlotte pushed their lead to a game-high 35 points, 81-46, when Amanda Dowe scored with 1:43 left in the game.
Charlotte's Nicole Hargraves made Charlotte's final margin of victory 34 points, 85-51, when she scored with 24 seconds left in the game.
The 49ers return to action when they look to defend their Atlantic 10 Tournament title at the 2010 A-10 Tournament at the Show Place Arena in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, March 5-8.
