The Chattanooga women’s basketball team fell 74-66 to the Elon Phoenix Thursday evening at Alumni Gym in Southern Conference action.
The Phoenix improve to 4-6 overall and snared their first league win to move to 1-2 while the Lady Mocs dropped back below .500 at 5-6 overall and evened out its conference mark at 2-2.
Elon jumped out to an 11-0 lead before Chattanooga senior Jenaya Wade-Fray (Madison, Ala.) connected on a layup at the 12:28 mark to put UTC on the board.
She would drain a 3-pointer one minute later to cut the lead to 13-5.
The Lady Mocs would then go on a 13-2 run over the next six minutes to take an 18-15 lead. However, Elon would take the lead back a few minutes later and never look back.
Senior Shanara Hollinquest (Sylacauga, Ala.) was in foul trouble early in the first half and sat out most of the period without having scored. Wade-Fray and senior Megan Rollins (Monteagle, Tenn.) combined for 15 of the Lady Mocs 24 first-half points.
In the second half, Wade-Fray started the scoring quickly with a 3-pointer from the corner to cut the lead to 29-27 and eventually get to within three points at 36-33 with less than five minutes gone in the second half. But it would be all Phoenix from there on out as Elon would reel off nine straight points before Wade-Fray could connect on another trey.
Elon’s Ali Ford answered back with a 3-pointer of her own just moments later to put the Phoenix up 48-36 with 11:16 to play in the game.
Hollinquest and freshman Kylie Lambert (Etowah, Tenn.) sandwiched a pair of 3-pointers around a Phoenix jumper to cut the lead to 50-42 at the 9:59 mark, but Elon continued to connect and kept the game just out of reach for UTC.
The Lady Mocs would get to within four points as the game drew to a close, but the Phoenix connected on their free throws down the stretch to keep the lead and gain their first-ever win over Chattanooga since joining the league in 2003.
Hollinquest led the Lady Mocs with 18 points, all in the second half and just missed a double-double with nine boards. Wade-Fray connected on three 3-pointers and had 17 points and seven rebounds. Freshman Kayla Christopher (Oliver Springs, Tenn.) was the third UTC player in double figures with 12 points and eight rebounds.
Chattanooga connected on all 13 of its free throws and were better statistically from the floor and 3-point line than Elon. UTC won the boards as well out rebounding the Phoenix 46-29. However, Elon forced 25 UTC turnovers to their own 14 and 24 points off the miscues. The Lady Mocs scored 17 points off 12 offensive boards and had six fast break points to Elon’s four.
The Phoenix were led in scoring by Ali Ford with 22 points. She had five rebounds and four assists as well as five turnovers. Tiara Gause had 13 points, Urysla Cotton put in 11 while Kelsey Evans chipped in 10 points as the fourth Elon player in double figures. Tiffany Davis had a game-high seven assists and four steals for Elon.
The Lady Mocs will be back in action against SoCon foe UNC Greensboro Saturday afternoon in Fleming Gym at 3 p.m. Larry Ward, the “Voice of the Lady Mocs” will have all the action live on 95.3 The Pulse.