CHARLOTTE, N.C. - The Charlotte women's basketball team
makes its second of three trips to Philadelphia over the span of a month when
it hits the City of Brotherly Love Sunday for a 1 p.m. tip at La Salle. The Niners
previously played at Saint Joseph's Feb. 10 and return to Philadelphia for the
upcoming Atlantic 10 Tournament in March.
Charlotte has won its last 10 games entering Sunday's contest, tying for the
third-longest streak in program history, to improve to 21-4 overall and 10-1 in
the Atlantic 10. The 49ers are in second place in the league standings, just
one game behind first-place Dayton, who is the only unbeaten team left in the
conference. The Niners and Flyers will not meet in the regular season.
Charlotte remained unbeaten in true road contests this year with its 9-0 mark
following a 79-60 triumph at Massachusetts Wednesday. All 12 active 49ers saw
action and four starters reached double-figure scoring, led by Ny Hammonds' 17
points. She also handed out eight assists, with zero turnovers, to climb into
first on the school's single-season list with 163, breaking Terri Hemphill's
mark of 162 set in 1981-82.
Senior Jennifer Hailey added her 11th-straight double-double with 15
points and 10 rebounds, while registering a blocked shot for the 37th-straight
game. Classmate Jai Forney equaled her season-high scoring effort with 16
points, while sophomore Hillary Sigmon chipped in 11, including three of the
Niners' four 3-pointers.
La Salle owns an 8-18 overall and 4-7 league ledger heading into Sunday's
contest after dropping their second straight, a 68-31 decision, to cross-town
foe Saint Joseph's Wednesday. The Explorers, under the direction of third-year
head coach Jeff Williams, have posted just one win in their last six games
during the month of February.
Brittany Wilson tops La Salle with 18.3 points per game; however, she is
currently out indefinitely with a knee injury. In her absence, Shanel Harrison
pours in an average of 12.2 points and 6.6 rebounds. Harrison is a reigning
co-Atlantic 10 Player of the Week after hitting a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to
top Saint Louis Feb. 13.
The 49ers own a 5-2 all-time lead in the series, including a 77-66 home triumph
last season on Education Day inside Halton Arena. The contest featured the
largest stand-alone crowd in Charlotte women's basketball history, as 6,799
fans witnessed the victory with four Niners tallying double-figure points.
Sunday's game can be heard live on Charlotte49ers.com with Josh Feldman
handling play-by-play duties. Live stats will be linked through
Charlotte49ers.com and updates can also be found on Twitter by following
@49erGameDay.