GREENSBORO, N.C. --- "Down the stretch we just kind of lost US a little bit."
 
Those were the words of head coach Shawn Poppie after the Chattanooga women's basketball team fell 56-54 Saturday afternoon at UNC Greensboro.
 
The Mocs finish the regular season at 17-12 overall and 9-5 in Southern Conference play, one game behind newly-minted SoCon Champion Wofford who claimed their first-ever regular season title earlier Saturday. Chattanooga finishes second in the standings and will be the No. 2 seed next week in the SoCon Championships in Asheville, N.C.
 
"It was not the prettiest of games," Poppie said. "This one hurts, hurts a lot. I know what we were playing for. I know the kids in that locker room, I know they wanted it so bad."
 
Despite shooting 66.7 percent over the middle two quarters, the Mocs were unable to pull away from the Spartans who knocked off ETSU earlier in the week.
 
Chattanooga held a slight edge after the first quarter, 13-10 but the Spartans made up ground and the teams went into halftime tied 30-30. Again, the Mocs held the advantage in the third shooting 77.8 percent (7-for-9) but only managed a four point lead, 47-43 headed into the final 10 minutes.
 
Foul trouble altered the Mocs lineups. Abbey Cornelius saw trouble early and Addie Grace Porter saw it late. Porter hit the bench in the second quarter after drawing a third foul and in the third on her fourth. The player who ranks second in the nation in playing time at more than 38 minutes per game, played just less than 30 minutes Saturday.
 
"We played uncharacteristic lineups all night because we get in foul trouble," Poppie said. "Addie Grace, unfortunately, we just couldn't keep her out there. She's in foul trouble so she doesn't defend like she normally does."
 
UNCG was 23-of-54 (42.6%) for the game and scored 18 points off 19 Chattanooga turnovers and outscored UTC 34-26 in the paint.
 
Raven Thompson was steady through the first three quarters and ended with a game-high 22 points, just one off her career-high. She was 8-of-9 from the field with her only miss coming from beyond the arc where she was 1-of-2. From the free throw line, she made 5-of-6 and moved to third for free throws made in a single season at UTC.
 
Yazz Wazeerud-Din, also playing with caution due to three fouls, dropped in 10 points for UTC with a trio of 3-pointers. Karsen Murphy came off the bench with seven points and Cornelius was 3-of-6 on the night with eight points and a game-high 10 rebounds.
 
TOP TAKEAWAYS
- Chattanooga finishes second and will be the No. 2 seed in the SoCon Tournament.
- Raven Thompson topped 20 points for the seventh time this season and had her 21^st game in double figures. She now has 128 free throws this season, third best at Chattanooga.
- Abbey Cornelius made her 132^nd appearance in a Mocs uniform tonight. More than any other player in program history. She passed Jenaya Wade-Fray (2007-10) who had 131.