The Charlotte women's basketball hit the road for Daytona Beach, Fla., from Nov. 25-26 to participate in the Daytona Invitational. The team split even on their trip, taking a loss versus Illinois and winning a nail-biter against Cincinnati.
Here are the biggest takeaways:
Swinging the rock
Ball movement is critical for a team's success, and Charlotte is no different.
Illinois was efficient in containing Charlotte's ball movement, allowing just four assists from the 49ers compared to their 18.
Charlotte was more successful with passing in their second game coming against Cincinnati, as they put up 11 assists en route to a victory.
Make or miss game
The shots would not fall for Charlotte against Illinois, as they converted on 28.3% of their field goal attempts versus the Fighting Illini's 48.4%.
Turning more of those attempts into makes in their next game made a huge difference. The 49ers scored on 37.9% of their shots, and while there is still room for improvement, Cincinnati was more efficient on their shots but regardless, Charlotte's 37.9% was enough for a win.
Huge game from Dazia Lawrence
Lawrence led Charlotte to a victory against the Bearcats with a big performance that included an efficient 21 points, five rebounds, two assists and three steals.
Lawrence has already showcased similar performances this season and has emerged as a star player on the 49er team.
Maintaining control
Charlotte entered the fourth quarter versus Cincinnati with a four-point lead and maintained control down the stretch.
The catalyst for holding the 49er lead was, again, Lawrence, who scored or assisted on ten of Charlotte's total twelve in the fourth.
Keeping that composure and finishing the game reflects the team's success, as they have won all four games where they outscored their opponents in the fourth quarter.
Free throws
Charlotte got to the line 35 times throughout both games, converting on a majority of them. The 49ers drained 24 free throws, amounting to 23.5% of their points scored on the weekend.
They attempted more free throws than each opponent of their opponents, most notably eleven more than Illinois, and it proved vital in the close game versus Cincinnati.
Next up
Charlotte will return to action on Thursday, Dec. 8, when they travel to South Carolina to take on the Clemson Tigers.