MURRAY, Ky. --- The Chattanooga Mocs led by as much as seven points in the fourth quarter, but couldn't hold off Murray State in non-conference women's basketball action Saturday night in Murray, Ky. The Mocs fell 59-56 to the Racers and dropped to 2-3 on the year. MSU improved to 2-1.
 
Freshman Raven Thompson led four Mocs in double figures with a career-high 15 points. Abbey Cornelius added 14 with Yazz Wazeerrud-Din dropping in 12 and Addie Grace Porter chipping in 11.
 
Chattanooga entered the fourth with a slim 40-38 lead. UTC dropped in the first five points of the final frame behind a long ranger from Porter followed by a layup from Thompson to give UTC its largest lead of the game since late in the second, 45-38 with 8:29 to play.
 
Murray State responded with a 7-0 run over the next minute-and-a-half to tie the game 45-45 at the 6:45 mark. Porter gave the Mocs a 47-45 lead on the next possession, but Murray State's Katelyn Young would tie it back up just moments later. Cornelius hit a layup to put UTC up 49-47 at the midway mark of the final quarter, but it would be their last.
 
Macey Turley and Young hit back-to-back 3-pointers to stretch the Racer lead to 53-49 with just over four minutes to play. The Mocs continued to fight and would pull to within one in the final seconds and even have a chance at the end to try for the tie, but the shots wouldn't fall.
 
Chattanooga shot 44 percent (21-48) from the field and was 4-for-17 from long range. At the free throw line, UTC was 10-of-11 (91%), but the Racers scored 17 points off 19 Chattanooga miscues while giving up just nine on nine turnovers.
 
On the boards, Cornelius led the Mocs with eight while Wazeerud-Din, Thompson and Porter each had six. The Mocs outdueled Murray State 32-29 off the glass and both teams had 30 points in the paint.
 
Chattanooga returns to the Roundhouse to host Kennesaw State Monday night. Tickets are on sale at the McKenzie Arena box office and online at GoMocs.com.
 
For the latest news and information on Chattanooga women's basketball, visit the official website for Mocs Athletics at GoMocs.com. Fans can also follow the Mocs on social media at /GoMocsWBK (Facebook), @GoMocsWBK (Twitter), @GoMocsWBK (Instagram).

FROM THE HEAD COACH
On the lack of 'quit' in the team
"I'm super proud of them. I mean, they're playing super, super hard and we're not playing a bunch of bodies because again, I've kind of made my mind up and I told them this. I'm putting people out there that I trust that are going to try to compete their tails off and make mistakes with good intent. And when I mean intent, they're trying to do it the way we're asked to do it and that's what this group is doing. They're gonna fight. They're going to compete. I'm sure there's gonna be some heads down in there and we gotta pick it right back up and we're right back at it on Monday. We have no time to feel sorry because Kennesaw State's going to pressure us, pressure us, pressure us."