Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG, Va. – Charlotte defeated Central Connecticut State, 66-51, in the opening game of the Hilton Garden Classic on Tuesday evening at Cassell Coliseum.
The 49ers improved to 6-6 with the win and will take on the winner of the Virginia Tech-NJIT contest on Wednesday in the tournament’s title game. The Blue Devils fell to 3-7 with the loss and will play the loser of Tech-NJIT in the consolation game.
Central Connecticut actually led at the half, 26-24, but the 49ers rattled off nine straight points to begin the second half and led 33-26 at the 17:40 mark. Charlotte never looked back, leading by as many as 15 on three occasions, including the final score.
Charlotte was led by Ashley Spriggs’ 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting, while Erin Floyd joined her in double figures with 10 points. Jennifer Hailey grabbed a game-high nine rebounds.
The Blue Devils placed three scorers in double figures, with Kerrianne Dugan netting 19 points, Alexzandria Dowdy tallying 11 and Shontice Simmons adding 10. Simmons also dished out a game-high six assists.