Chattanooga
Georgia
Lady Mocs Fall to No. 16 Georgia 74-57
11/19/2009 9:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. --- The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga women's basketball team dropped a 74-57 contest to 16th ranked Georgia at the McKenzie Arena Thursday night. The Lady Mocs (1-2) had a strong first half but could not hold on against one of the top teams in the nation.
Senior Shanara Hollinquest (Sylacauga, Ala.) was impressive in the opening 20 minutes, scoring 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting, 4-for-4 from the free throw line, to go with nine boards and four assists. She led the Lady Mocs to a 36-33 halftime advantage.
Chattanooga fell behind 9-2 early thanks to just 1-of-4 shooting and six turnovers in the first five-and-a-half minutes of the game. Senior Jenaya Wade-Fray (Madison, Ala.) hit Hollinquest with a bounce pass for a layup down the middle of the lane to settle the team down.
Chattanooga heated up from that point, going on a 17-5 run behind five three pointers. Wade-Fray hit three in the stretch and the Lady Mocs got one each from sophomores Tenisha Townsend (Antioch, Tenn.) and Kori Penland (Chickamauga, Ga.) to take a 19-14 lead at the 10 minute mark.
The Lady Bulldogs cut into the lead, tying the game at 21 on a pair of free throws by Angel Robinson at the 5:29 mark. Hollinquest hit two from the line to give UTC a 28-23 lead with 4:19 left in the period.
Georgia tied the game at 30 on a layup by Meredith Mitchell, but Chattanooga pulled ahead in the closing seconds for the 36-33 halftime lead.
The Lady Mocs started the second period, much like they did the first, only managing one field goal in the first eight minutes of the second half. UTC went 1-for-7 with eight turnovers, allowing Georgia to pull ahead on a 14-3 run. A pair of free throws by Porsha Phillips gave the Lady Bulldogs a 47-39 lead with 11:58 left to go.
Hollinquest stopped the run with a layup at the 11:55 mark as Chattanooga tried to climb back into the game. Three straight three-pointers by freshman Kayla Christopher (Oliver Springs, Tenn.) and another jumper by Hollinquest helped UTC cut the lead to 56-52 with 6:53 left in the game. Christopher's third three brought the 4,004 fans in attendance to their feet and electrified the crowd.
However, Georgia's Jasmine James responded with three three-pointers of her own in a 16-2 spurt to put the Lady Bulldogs up 70-54 with two minutes left.
Hollinquest only managed four points on 2-of-6 shooting after the break, but still had a solid outing with 20 points and 11 rebounds for her second double-double of the season. Wade-Fray added 15 points on 5-for-15 shooting, 5-of-10 from 3-point range.
Georgia was led by James' 25 points on 9-of-15 shooting, 6-for-10 from 3-point range. Ashley Houts added 21 points, game-high five assists and four steals.
The Lady Mocs hit the road for their next game at Kentucky on Sunday, Nov. 22. This will be the seventh meeting between the two schools with the Lady Mocs still seeking to put a mark in the win column. Last season, the Wildcats beat UTC in the first round of the WNIT after Erin Ogan nailed a three-pointer to send the game in the overtime.
Tipoff is set for 6:00 p.m. against the Wildcats. The game can be heard on WPLZ 95.3 The Pulse, in Chattanooga and online on GoMocs.com. UTC's next home game is the DoubleTree Classic at the McKenzie Arena on Nov. 27-28.
The Lady Mocs welcome Evansville, Villanova and Kennesaw State to the Scenic City for the two-day event. Check the women's basketball schedule on GoMocs.com for matchups and game times. For ticket, also visit GoMocs.com or call the UTC Ticket Office at (423) 266-MOCS (6627).
