The Chattanooga women’s basketball team fell 68-65 in overtime as a last second shot fell short at Bank of Colorado Arena Thursday night.
With 4.9 seconds to play, Northern Colorado missed a pair of free throws that could have sealed the game. Chattanooga’s Rochelle Lee grabbed the rebound and the Mocs called time to advance the ball.
Shelbie Davenport got the inbounds pass from Molly Melton but her shot from deep at the top of the arc hit off the front of the rim, dropping the Mocs to 4-7 on the year.
Northern Colorado improves to 5-3 overall.
The Mocs got off to a slow start, trailing the Bears 22-14 at the end of the first quarter. Morgan Hill drove the lane as time ran off the clock at the end of the first frame, hitting a layup. That started a 13-2 run for Chattanooga over the next 6:36.
The second quarter started with an offensive rebound for the Chattanooga and a layup from Lee. UTC forced a turnover and Molly Melton drained it from long range to make it 22-19 with 8:23 to play in the third. UNC hit a pair of free throws to push the lead back to five, 24-19, with 7:10 on the clock.
Hill responded with two free throws, cutting the lead 24-21 just less than a minute later. The Mocs took advantage of another Bear miscue and Brooke Burns dropped in a short jumper to cut the lead to one, 24-23 with 5:54 to play in the frame.
The run was capped by a layup from Lakelyn Bouldin, giving UTC its first lead of the game since starting with a 3-pointer from Burns.
The game was tied 10 times with nine lead changes. The Mocs won the second quarter 14-7 and edged Northern Colorado 12-11 in the third while the two teams ended regulation tied at 59-all.
Bouldin led three Chattanooga players in double figures with 22 points. She had a career-high for made free throws, hitting all nine attempts. That tied for seventh at UTC for free throws made without a miss in a game.
Burns was 3-of-5 from the 3-point line for 13 points and Shelbie Davenport had 10 points, a team-high four assists and was 4-of-5 from the free throw line. Lee added eight points and had a team-high seven rebounds.
Alexis Chapman led all scorers with 23 points for the Bears, making 5-of-8 from beyond the arc. Savannah Smith was 6-of-6 from the free throw line and had 20 points while Bridget Hintz added 11 points.
Chattanooga returns home to host Belmont Monday, December 17 at the McKenzie Arena. The game is set to tip off at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are on sale now at the Roundhouse box office or online at GoMocs.com.