The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga women’s basketball team used a 20-3 run late in the game to blow past UNCG at Fleming Gym Thursday night in Southern Conference action. The Mocs improve to 17-7 on the year and 8-2 in league play. UNCG falls to 8-17 overall and 0-10 in SoCon action.
With 48-43 lead late in the third quarter, the Mocs responded with a 20-3 run over the next 9:01 to take its largest lead of the game, 68-46, with 3:44 to play.
Junior Queen Alford (Decatur, Ga.) drained her second 3-pointer with 2:25 to play in the third quarter and the Mocs scored 14 straight before UNCG’s Jade Scaife hit a jumper in the paint.
Chattanooga then went 4-for-4 from the charity stripe and junior Jasmine Joyner’s (Southaven, Miss.) jumper at the 3:44 mark gave UTC a 68-46 lead, its largest of the game.
Chattanooga started the game with a quick 6-0 lead before UNCG would make a run at them. The Spartans got the tip, but a steal by senior Alicia Payne (Memphis, Tenn.) would give the ball back to UTC. Joyner’s putback put the Mocs on the board first. Payne would get another steal and this time feed Alford for the score. Joyner’s next bucket came on a steal by sophomore Aryanna Gilbert (Pulaski, Tenn.).
UNCG would get as close as 9-8 in the opening frame when Scaife hit a jumper with 4:01 on the clock. Sophomore Keiana Gilbert (Pulaski, Tenn.) drained a 3-pointer and after a bucket by the Spartans 30 seconds later made it 12-10 in the Mocs’ favor, junior Moses Johnson scored the next five to push UTC’s lead to 17-10 at the end of the first.
The Spartans outscored the Mocs 20-15 in the second quarter behind eight points from Bailey Williams who was 3-of-5 with a pair of 3-pointers. Bailey and Lucy Mason scored a pair of 3-pointers, cutting into the Mocs’ lead early in the period. Williams hit her second trey to get the Spartans to within two points at 21-19. India Timpton’s two free throws would tie the game and Shanese Harris scored an old-fashioned 3-point play to give UNCG a 24-21 lead with 4:37 to go in the half.
Alford’s 3-point play would give the Mocs the lead again and Joyner’s jumper with five seconds to play in the half put the Mocs back on top for good, 32-30 at halftime.
Joyner grabbed her seventh double-double of the year with a game-high 21 points and 13 rebounds. She was 9-of-14 from the field and had five blocked shots. Alford had 18 points and five rebounds and Keiana Gilbert had 14 points and five rebounds, making both attempts from beyond the arc. Johnson just missed a double-double with 12 points and nine rebounds.
Payne had five points and six assists. She is now ranked 10th all-time at UTC with 321 and has dished out 32 over the last six games.
UNCG’s Lucy Mason, the league’s leading scorer, had 19 points and six rebounds with two assists and two steals while playing all 40 minutes. Scaife just missed a double-double with 12 points and a team-high nine boards. Williams, 2-of-4 from beyond the 3-point line, was the third player in double figures with 10 points and had five rebounds.
Chattanooga will remain on the road to take on Western Carolina Saturday at 2 p.m. at the Ramsey Center in Cullowhee, N.C. Follow all the action at GoMocs.com.