CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. ? Laura Hall led four Chattanooga players in double figures as the Lady Mocs defeated Western Carolina 86-81 Thursday night at the Ramsey Center in Southern Conference action. The Lady Mocs improve to 8-3 overall and 2-0 in league play while the Catamounts fall to 8-3 and 0-1 in the SoCon.
Hall scored a team-high 19 points making 7-of-11 from the floor and nailing crucial free throws down the stretch. Alex Anderson, who scored just two points in the first half, went 4-for-4 from the free throw line in the closing minute to seal the victory for Chattanooga (8-3, 2-0). She scored 18 points for UTC and had a team-high eight rebounds, four blocked shots and three steals.
Chattanooga trailed early as the Cats reeled off eight straight points to grab an 8-3 lead at the 15:40 mark of the first half. However, the Lady Mocs would not let Western Carolina get more than a six point lead throughout the stanza. Brooke Hand sank a 3-pointer at the buzzer to lift the Lady Mocs to a 39-33 halftime lead.
In the second half, the Lady Mocs stretched their lead to as much as 10 points at 57-47 at the 14:32 mark, but Western Carolina mounted a comeback, outscoring UTC 11-2 over the next three minutes to trail by one. The Cats lead would disappear for good when Kristen Spann drained a 3-pointer from the corner with 3:17 to play, putting the Lady Mocs on top for good.
Hand had 14 points for Chattanooga making 4-of-7 from beyond the arc and Shanara Hollinquest went 6-for-9 from the floor for 13 points. Hall, Hand, Hollinquest and LaCondra Mason each pulled down four boards and Mason had seven points for the Lady Mocs in her first road game.
Western Carolina was led in scoring by Monique Dawson with a game-best 20 points. Chevon Keith had a double-double with 13 points and 10 boards while Kendra Eaton scored 15 for the Cats and Ashley Pellom had 11.
Chattanooga will take a few days rest over the holiday break before traveling to San Antonio, Texas for the UTSA Well's Fargo New Year's Classic. The Lady Mocs will take on Weber State on Saturday, Dec. 29 at 3 p.m. Eastern Time followed by a Sunday afternoon contest against Miami of Ohio, also at 3 p.m. Both games can be heard live on WDOD-AM 1310 or online around the world at the official website of the Lady Mocs, www.GoMocs.com.
