WACO, Texas --- The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga women's basketball team fell 91-31 to Baylor Sunday afternoon at the Ferrell Center in the second round of the Preseason WNIT.
Junior Kylie Lambert (Etowah, Tenn.) and sophomore Taylor Hall (New Tazewell, Tenn.) each chipped in 10 points for the Lady Mocs who fall to 1-1 on the year and await their fate in the next round. Baylor improves to 2-0 and will play the winner of the No. 22 UCLA/Tennessee Tech contest.
Baylor won the tip but the Bears' Destiny Williams was unable to convert the layup and UTC senior Whitney Hood (Meridian, Miss) grabbed the defensive board and Hall put up the first points to give Chattanooga a 2-0 lead in the opening minute.
However, the Bears would quickly take over and outscore the Lady Mocs 19-0 over the next seven minutes. Chattanooga matched Baylor in scoring, 7-7, over the next five minutes to make it 26-12 with 6:43 to play in the first. However, the Bears pushed on and held UTC scoreless over the remainder of the half to take a 48-12 halftime lead.
In the second half, Baylor's Brittney Griner, a preseason All-America selection, turned on the jets and scored 12 of her 19 points to push her team out further ahead. She finished the game with eight rebounds and three blocked shots. Griner led four Bears in double figures. Odyssey Sims, who did damage in the first half with 16 points, ended the game with 18. Brooklyn Pope added 16 and posted a double-double with 10 rebounds while Destiny Wiliams had 14 points and Sune Agbuke had 10 boards.
Chattanooga shot 20.7 percent in the second half and closed out the game making just 11-of-60 and 6-of-26 3-point tries. Free throws were few and far between as the Bears were jut whistled five times in the game. Chattanooga was 3-for-5 from the charity stripe, all from Lambert.
Baylor shot 60.6 percent in the first half and closed out the game making 39-of-78 from the field and 6-of-15 from the 3-point line with a 7-of-15 performance at the free throw line. The Bears outrebounded Chattanooga 59-35, dished out 26 assists and had 10 steals.
The Lady Mocs will find out the opponent and location of its next game later tonight. Check with the official website of Chattanooga Athletics, GoMocs.com, for details.
