Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
Charlotte
49ers Overcome Early Deficit in Win over Herd
3/7/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
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HUNTINGTON, W.Va. -- The Charlotte women's basketball team weathered a fast Marshall start and downed the Thundering Herd 66-58 on its Senior Day Saturday afternoon at the Cam Henderson Center.
The 49ers improved to 14-16 and 10-8 in Conference USA with the win, while Marshall fell to 16-13 and 8-10 in the league.
Charlotte star Lefty Webster scored 19 points and fell one rebound shy of a double-double with nine. She also posted five assists. Hillary Sigmon added 13 points.
Marshall's Leah Scott scored 18 points and registered eight rebounds (all defensive). Sorrells, who was honored in the program's Senior Day ceremony before the game, tallied the first double-double of her career with 12 points and 10 caroms. Classmate Chukwuka Ezeigbo, one of the league's leading rebounders at over 10 per contest, grabbed 12 boards.
The Herd got out to a hot start and built a 24-9 lead on a Sorrells free throw with 7:28 left. However, the visitors closed the half on a 20-7 run, chopping the margin to 31-29 at the half.
Marshall responded at the outset of the second half, however, and used a quick 10-2 run in just under three minutes to snare an eight-point lead (43-35) on a Sorrells layup at the 14:44 mark.
Charlotte came right back, though, and ripped off a 16-2 run of its own and took a 51-45 lead on an Alexis Alexander layup at the 8:02 mark.
Marshall sliced the lead back down to one (51-50) on another Sorrells layup a minute later, but Charlotte got an Alexander jumper, a Ciara Gregory 3-pointer and a Webster free throw to go up 57-50 with 3:34 left and that was the run the 49ers needed to seize control of the game.
The 49ers shot 48.3% (14-29) in the second half, after making just 32.4% (11-34) in the game's first 20 minutes.
Marshall did outrebound the 49ers 43-37 for the game.
The Herd's AJ Johnson made a 3-pointer at the 17:20 mark of the second half, giving her 70 for the season, a new school single-season record.
The Herd will play Wednesday in the first round of the Conference USA Tournament in Birmingham, Ala. Seeds and tip times will be announced later Saturday by the league office.
