The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga fell 49-39 to Maine in the final game of the 2016 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Women’s Challenge at the MassMutual Center. Chattanooga is 3-5 overall while Maine improves to 3-4 on the year.
Senior Jasmine Joyner (Southaven, Miss.) broke the Southern Conference blocked shots record as the second quarter started and finished the game with four. She has 341 for her career, passing Davidson’s Sophia Aleksandravicius (2010-13) for the record.
Joyner was named Chattanooga’s Most Outstanding Player in the game with 10 points and 16 rebounds. She also entered the Mocs’ Top 10 list for career rebounds, tied for 10th with 725.
Freshman Lakelyn Bouldin (Spencer, Tenn.) was the only other UTC player in double figures with 11 points, but struggled from beyond the arc, making just 1-of-7 on the night.
Maine put together and 8-0 run to close out the first half to get to within one, 22-21, at the half then outscored UTC 28-17 in the final 20 minutes. Chattanooga shot just 32 percent for the game, its second-lowest shooting percentage this season, and was just 4-of-22 from the 3-point line.
Maine put three players in double figures with Sigi Koizar scoring 13 with three assists and three steals. The Mocs didn’t allow her a single goal from beyond the arc in four tries and forced her into four turnovers. Laia Sole was 6-of-12 from the field with 12 points while Blanca Millan chipped in 10 points. Tanesha Sutton led the team with seven rebounds and Naira Caceres had six.
The Bears shot 45.5 percent for the game making 20-of-44 and three from long range but struggled at the line making just 6-of-11.
Chattanooga will travel to Hartford, Conn., to take on the second-ranked Huskies Tuesday night at the XL center. Follow all the action at GoMocs.com.