Faith Dupree in action.
photo by Tim Evearitt
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga seniors Taylor Hall (New Tazewell, Tenn.) and Faith Dupree (Knoxville, Tenn.) combined for all 12 of UTC’s overtime points to lead Chattanooga to a 73-68 win over Appalachian State Monday night at the Holmes Convocation Center. Chattanooga (14-3) runs its win streak to 10 games and remains undefeated in Southern Conference action at 6-0. Appalachian State falls to 5-10 overall and 2-3 in league play.
Senior Alex Black (Memphis, Tenn.) was 6-of-9 for the game for a career-high 17 points. She matched her career-best for 3-pointers with four and gave Chattanooga its largest lead at 50-43 on a net-snapper with 9:59 to play.
Appalachian State scored the next six points to cut the lead to 50-49 on a layup by Maryah Sydnor. With 8:20 to play. UTC senior Ashlen Dewart (Spartanburg, S.C.) scored the next four points to stretch Chattanooga’s lead out to 54-49 at the 6:41 mark of the game, but Sydnor would combined with teammate KeKe Cooper to give the Mountaineers their first lead of the second half at 55-54 with 5:01 to play.
Hall connected on one free throw 45 seconds later to tie it up 55-55. She drained two more free throws and Black hit a layup to give UTC a 59-55 lead with 3:03 on the clock. App State scored the next three points connecting on 3-of-4 free throws to make it 59-58 with 2:31 to play.
Sophomore Alicia Payne (Memphis, Tenn.) scored her only points of the game on a layup to make it 61-58 and ASU got a layup and Cooper made just the second of two free throws to tie it 61-61 with 57 seconds to play.
Hall missed a shot and Sydnor grabbed the rebound but Cooper couldn’t get her shot to fall with eight seconds to play. Dewart grabbed the rebound and Hall ran the length of the court, but her 3-pointer from the top right wouldn’t fall, sending the game into overtime.
In the extra period, the two teams traded free throws. Hall’s two free throws tied the game for the eighth time 63-63 with 4:28 to play. ASU took the lead again on a layup by Bria Huffman and Chattanooga answered with a pair of free throws from Dupree for the ninth and final tie of the game at 65-65 with 3:14 to play.
Hall and Dupree combined for the next four points to give Chattanooga a 69-65 lead with 2:31 to play. App State’s final points would come on a free throw from Bria Carter with 51 seconds left on the clock. Hall would seal the win with two more free throws for the final tally, 73-68.
Hall recorded her eighth double-double of the year with 19 points and 10 rebounds and added in four assists and two steals. Black had 17 points with three assists and three steals while Dewart added in 12 points and four rebounds. Dupree, with four points in overtime, closed out the game with eight points, four rebounds and two assists.
Chattanooga started the game with four straight 3-pointers and held a six point lead twice in the half, but ASU would hang on to tie it up 26-26 at the half. After making 9-of-26 in the first half, Chattanooga stepped up its performance in the second making 11-of-25 (44%) and was 3-of-6 from the field in overtime. App State shot an impressive 66.7 percent in the first half and was 11-of-22 in the second half while making just 2-of-6 in overtime.
The Mountaineers edged UTC 26-24 in the paint while Chattanooga capitalized on 19 ASU turnovers, scoring 23 points compared to 15 points off 12 UTC miscues. Appalachian State had 35 rebounds to Chattanooga’s 30 while the Lady Mocs had nine points off 12 offensive boards. Chattanooga’s bench outscored ASU 19-10 led by Dupree’s eight and senior Meghan Downes’ (Lilburn, Ga.) seven. UTC’s 12 steals ties a team-best for the season.
ASU’s Maryah Sydnor, the SoCon leading scorer, led all scorers with 20 points and had 14 rebounds. After scoring 10 points in the first half, she was held to just six in the second and added four in overtime. KeKe Cooper had 17 points for ASU with nine rebounds and four assists and Huffman had 17 points and three assists.
Chattanooga is 2-0 against Appalachian State in overtime. Both games were in Boone with the last on Feb. 17, 1985.
Chattanooga head coach Jim Foster now has 797 career wins in his 36th season. Chattanooga will return home next weekend to host Wofford on Saturday at 7 p.m. at the McKenzie Arena. UTC now owns the nation’s longest active home court win streak at 32 games with the loss of Baylor Monday night to Connecticut in Waco, Texas.