Charlotte 49ers surprise Wisconsin in women’s basketball opener

Charlotte women’s basketball coach Cara Consuegra knew her team would be challenged when it opened its season Friday night against Big Ten power Wisconsin.

Behind a stout defensive performance, the 49ers passed their opening test with flying colors, defeating the Badgers 63-48 at Halton Arena.

Wisconsin jumped out to a 7-1 lead as Charlotte struggled to find its groove offensively. Once the 49ers did, there was no looking back. They entered halftime with a 35-20 lead after limiting their opposition to 15.2 percent shooting from the field.

The Badgers made a second-half charge, cutting the 49ers’ lead to eight points with 7 minutes, 57 seconds left, but Ciara Gregory’s third 3-pointer sparked a 12-0 run that put the game out of reach.

Three who mattered

Lefty Webster: Charlotte’s top returning scorer from last season shouldered the offensive load, tying for the team lead with 16 points. She went 3-for-4 on 3-pointers.

Laia Raventos: A sophomore guard, she made up for six turnovers by scoring 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting, grabbing eight rebounds and adding five assists.

Amaya Ransom: One of three 49ers who had offseason surgery, Ransom led the team with nine rebounds. She also scored seven points.

Observations

▪ A season ago, Wisconsin ranked 36th nationally with a 35.1 3-point percentage. Charlotte held the Badgers to 5-for-26 from behind the arc.

▪ Wisconsin had 18 offensive rebounds but only scored nine second-chance points.

Worth mentioning

▪ Making his debut as Wisconsin’s coach was Jonathan Tsipis, a North Carolina graduate who has made stops at Duke, Elon and UNC Greensboro.

This story was originally published November 11, 2016 at 8:42 PM with the headline "Charlotte 49ers surprise Wisconsin in women’s basketball opener."