LEXINGTON, Ky. - The UTC Lady Mocs fell 65-55 to Kentucky at Memorial Coliseum on the University of Kentucky campus Sunday evening. It was the fourth meeting between the two teams since 2005, but the first in the regular season.
The Lady Mocs fall to 1-3 on the year for the first time since the 2005-06 season and Kentucky runs its record to 4-0 on the year.
In the first half, Kentucky got on the board with the first bucket, but the Lady Mocs went on a 9-0 run to take a seven-point lead.
Kentucky would cut it to just two points in less than a minute and the score would not vary more than four points either way.
With 5:53 to play in the first half, the Wildcats would regain the lead on a put back by Brittany Henderson and then get their largest lead of the half at 22-19 on a layup from A’dia Mathies. Michelle Davis (Cleveland, Tn.) hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key to tie it up 22-22 and the game would seesaw back and forth until Shanara Hollinquest (Sylacauga, Ala.) hit a layup with less than a minute to play to knot the game at halftime 26-26.
The Lady Mocs used a 13-4 run to start the second half and take a 39-30 lead over the Wildcats, but Kentucky would roar back to retake the lead on a 10-0 run over the next 2:23.
The game would bounce back and forth at that point with UTC taking the lead four more times before Kentucky made a push. The Wildcats outscored Chattanooga 12-2 over the next four minutes to stretch its lead to 61-51 with 3:32 to play.
The Lady Mocs cut the lead to six at 61-55 over the next minute on layins from Hollinquest and freshman Kayla Christopher (Oliver Springs, Tn.), but Kentucky would get both back for the final 65-55 score.
Hollinquest led all scorers with 18 points and 11 rebounds for her third double-double of the year and second against an SEC opponent in as many games. Davis was the only other Chattanooga player in double figures with a career-high 13 points that included three 3-pointers.
Christopher pulled down a career-best 12 rebounds, 10 in the first half and dropped in eight points for the Lady Mocs going 4-for-4 from the free throw line.
The Lady Mocs outrebounded the Wildcats 40-32 and had nine offensive boards and seven second chance points to UK’s six.
Kentucky was paced by Mathies with 14 points and five boards while Victoria Dunlap was held to just 12 points and four boards, well off her averages in both categories. Rebecca Gray and Brittany Henderson each chipped in 10 points for Kentucky who scored 28 points off 24 UTC turnovers.
The Lady Mocs went 19-for-52 (36.5) from the field and made 5-of-23 (21.7) attempts from beyond the arc. Kentucky shot 39.3 percent from the field making 24-of-61 and went 4-for-24 from the 3-point line.
The Lady Mocs will return to action following the Thanksgiving holiday as they host the DoubleTree Classic Friday and Saturday at the McKenzie Arena. The first game will feature Evansville and Villanova at 5 p.m. The Lady Mocs will take on Kennesaw State in the nightcap.
Chattanooga has never played the Owls or the Purple Aces. UTC’s lone game against Villanova was a first-round win in the 2005 WNIT at the Roundhouse. Call the McKenzie Arena box office at 423-266-6627 (MOCS) to get your tickets or log onto the official website of UTC athletics, GoMocs.com.
NOTES:
- Lady Mocs 1-3 overall – first time since 2005-06 season.
- Kayla Christopher had a career-high 12 rebounds
- Shanara Hollinquest’s third double-double of the year (18 pts. 11 rbs)
- Michelle Davis’ career-high 13 points
- Kylie Lambert career-high 7 points.
- Christopher and Lambert combined to go 6-for-6 from the free throw line.
- Second loss to SEC school in as many games (fell to Georgia 11/19)
- UTC is 0-7 against Kentucky (0-5 in Lexington)