The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga ran its win streak to five games Friday night with a 68-56 win over Furman in Southern Conference women’s basketball action. UTC improved to 7-4 overall and 2-0 against the SoCon while Furman drops to 4-7 on the year and 0-2 in league play.
Bria Dial dropped in four of Chattanooga’s seven 3-pointers to lead the Mocs with 19 points and grabbed four steals.
Eboni Williams and Abbey Cornelius chipped in 11 points apiece. Cornelius had four assists and Williams matched her career-high for steals with five to go along with three assists.
The Mocs put together a 16-0 run in the second quarter and held Furman to just seven points in the frame to take a 36-20 lead at the half.
Williams started the run off with a layup and drew a foul for a 3-point play to put UTC up 21-17 just 2:30 into the quarter. Morgan Hill and Williams combined for the Mocs next two baskets. Dial and Hampel combined for a trio of 3-pointers in just over a minute to give UTC a 34-17 lead with 2:22 remaining in the period.
Chattanooga saw its largest lead come in the third quarter on a long range shot by Dena Jarrells to make it 52-32 with just under two minutes to go in the frame.
Furman, led by Tierra Hodges game-high 23 points and 13 rebounds, mounted a fourth quarter comeback that saw the Paladins get as close as 10 points on an 11-3 run to make it 66-56 with 49 seconds to play. Furman was 8-of-15 in the quarter, shooting 53.3 percent and closed out the game making 21-of-50 (42%).
The Mocs shot 50 percent in the opening quarter and 58.3 (7-12) in the third while shooting 48.8 percent (28-58) for the game. UTC was 7-of-18 from the 3-point line and were 5-of-7 from the free throw line, the fewest attempts this season.
Chattanooga had a season-low 12 turnovers and a season-best 13 steals while dishing out 18 assists, second-most this season, on 28 shots. Furman outrebounded the Mocs 37-26 and converted 13 offensive boards into 12 points while UTC had eight points on seven offensive rebounds.
Hodges pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds for a double-double, playing 38 minutes. Sydney James was 6-of-12 in the game for 18 points and five rebounds.
The Mocs will remain in Greenville to take on the Paladins Sunday afternoon at Timmons Arena. The game will tip at 2:00 p.m. Find links to the ESPN+ broadcast and WFLI radio show with Larry Ward on GoMocs.com.