Charlotte, NC – The Niners (11-3) continued its winning ways Saturday afternoon as the team came away with a 68-66 victory over Lousiana Tech (7-5) Saturday afternoon at Halton Arena.
Charlotte was led by junior forward Brice Williams who finished with a game-high 31 points to go along with 6 rebounds. Williams, who matched his career high in points from two nights ago, shot an efficient 9-12 from the field, including 3-6 from beyond the arc. The Niners have not had a back-to-back 30+ point scorer since fan-favorite Leemire Goldwire achieved the feat on February 13, 2008 against Xavier.
A very modest Williams didn’t have much to say about his accomplishments, rather pointing to the team’s wins as his measure of success. “I just do what my team needs me to do to win”, said Williams. “I always try to come into the game not thinking about how many points I’m going to score. I’m taking the shots that are presented to me and with everyone sharing the ball, making the defense move, that opens me up for good shots.”
The ball movement in the Charlotte offense has played a major role in the efficiency of the team’s offense. The Niners shot over 53% from the field Saturday, which is over its season average of 50%. It is difficult to defend a team who’s offense is solely focused on high percentage shots. Charlotte passes up good shots for better shots; keeping the defense in chase-mode on nearly every possession and leaving the team with wide-open looks at the basket. This is a recipe you can win with and has been a key component of Charlotte’s 11-3 start.
Despite closing out 2022 in better position than many would have predicted, Sanchez is still taking a game-by-game approach. “We’re not thinking too far ahead”, said Sanchez when asked about the trajectory of his team after its seventh consecutive victory at home. “Can we become the best version of ourselves? That’s been our story since we arrive and that’s not going to change”.
