The UTC women were unable to take advantage of several opportunities in the final 30 seconds of play Saturday afternoon and fell 74-71 to North Alabama in women’s basketball action at The McKenzie Arena.
Trailing 72-64 with just under two minutes to play, the Mocs put up five quick points. Abbey Cornelius drew a foul on a made layup and converted the 3-point play to cut the lead to 67-72 with 1:41 to play.
The Mocs got a stop on the other end and Cornelius snared the rebound. Dena Jarrells hit a short jumper to cut the Lion lead to 72-69 with 1:01 on the clock.
Chattanooga got another stop with Brooke Hampel grabbing the defensive board. A quick time out advanced the ball, but a 3-point attempt just wouldn’t fall. UNA called for time to advance the ball and on the ensuing inbound play, the Lions’ point guard stepped over the half court line for the turnover.
The Mocs would miss a 3-point shot, trying to tie the game with 12 seconds to play, but Amaria Pugh put pressure on the ball at midcourt and her steal led to a fast break layup to make it a one-point game, 72-71 with seven seconds to play.
The Lions stepped on the line on the inbounds pass and once again, Chattanooga had a chance.
A short jumper from the side bounced out and a UTC foul on the rebound sent North Alabama to the line where Alexis Callins made both to stretch the lead to 74-71.
The Mocs final chance came with 2.3 seconds remaining. Jarrells took the pass in bounds and ran down the court but her half court heave hit off the back of the rim at the buzzer.
Chattanooga outscored the Lions 24-19 in the fourth and shot 44 percent in the frame.
Cornelius led the Mocs with 18 points and Brooke Hampel dropped in 11. Pugh, Porter and Sigrun Olafsdottir added nine points each and Jarrells chipped in eight.
Cornelius had a team-best eight rebounds and matched her career-high for blocked shots with five. She moved past Arianne Whitaker for third on Chattanooga’s all-time list with 113 over her career.
Chattanooga was 25-of-62 for the game and made 16-of-19 from the free throw line.
North Alabama’s Julia Strachan led all scorers with 25 points and was 7-of-10 from the 3-point line. Teammate Jada Moore added four triples and had 16 points while Hina Suzuki dropped in 14. The Lions were 25-of-55 from the field and made 15 3-pointers while converting 9-of-10 from the free throw line.
Chattanooga outscored the Lions 34-30 in the paint and had 14 second chance points on 11 offensive rebounds. The Mocs won the rebound battle 34-29 and got 16 points from the bench.
With not much time to rest, the Mocs will be back in action Monday afternoon in a 2:00 p.m. tilt against UNC Asheville at the Roundhouse. Don your favorite ugly holiday sweater and come cheer on the Mocs! Faculty and staff with a valid MOCS ID Card will get free admission, popcorn and a soft drink.
Series Record
First win for the Lions in the matchup. Mocs lead 2-1.
Team Records
Chattanooga: 1-11
North Alabama: 5-5
Up next
Monday, December 20 vs. UNC Asheville – 2:00 p.m.
Notes
• Abbey Cornelius tied her career-high with five blocked shots. Third time in her career.
• Abbey Cornelius moved to third on the UTC blocked shots list with 113 all-time.
• Mocs trailed 70-60 with 3:52 remaining and went on an 11-2 run to close the gap to 72-71 with 7.9 seconds to play on a steal and layup by Amaria Pugh.