Lady Mocs Clinch Sixth SoCon Title with 67-63 Win Over Davidson
DAVIDSON, N.C. -- In a battle between the top two Southern Conference
women's basketball teams, the Lady Mocs edged Davidson 67-63 Monday night
in John Belk Arena.
The win clinched a sixth consecutive SoCon regular season title for
Chattanooga (20-3, 15-1) and assured it of the top seed in the upcoming
conference tournament to be held in the McKenzie Arena. It was also the
Lady Mocs's sixth straight 20-win season.
With 3:22 remaining, Chattanooga held a 61-50 lead over Davidson. The
Wildcats' Katie Hamilton became a one-person scoring machine, with a pair
of free throws, a layup and a 3-pointer, outscoring UTC 7-0 over a two
minute span, pulling Davidson to 61-57 with 1:22 to play.
Alex Anderson hit a layup giving the Lady Mocs a six-point lead, but
Jessica Mitchell's trifecta pulled the Wildcats back to within three with
45 seconds to play in the game.
Davidson (14-9, 11-5), with just four fouls in the half, put on the
pressure and began fouling putting Chattanooga at the line for eight
chances in the final 38 seconds. Nicole Mattison and Amy Mohr missed on the
front end of a one-and-bonus, but Tiffani Roberson nailed both of her
tries. With 29 seconds on the clock, UTC led 65-60.
Mitchell hit another trey and the Wildcats pulled to 65-63 at the 20 second
mark, but UTC would hold on, connecting on 2-of-4 from the charity stripe,
for the final score 67-63.
Mattison led three Chattanooga players in double figures with 12 points and
four rebounds. Roberson tallied two blocked shots. She and Brooke Hand
chipped in 10 points and had a team-high seven boards each.
Chattanooga jumped out to an 11-2 lead to start the game, but Davidson
roared back with a 17-5 run to take a brief 19-16 lead at 10:33. The Lady
Mocs responded with a pair of layups to retake the lead for good at 9:23.
Chattanooga held a 33-27 lead at the half, shooting 48.1 percent in the
opening period. In the second half, Davidson put together a 10-1 run to get
to within one at 46-45 with 8:27 to play. The Lady Mocs responded with a
pair of 3's from Hand and a KeKe McWilliams' layup over a 2:25 span pushing
the lead to 54-45 with 6:02 to play.
UTC shot 43.3 percent from the floor hitting 26-of-60, but struggled at the
free throw line making just 8-of-17. Davidson shot 41.4 percent on the
night and outrebounded the Lady Mocs 41-38 including 20 offensive boards.
Mitchell scored a career-high 22 points to lead all scorers and Katie
Hamilton had 17 points and six rebounds. Tia Washington had a game-high
nine boards.
Chattanooga will travel to Boone, N.C., Monday, Feb. 14 to take on
Appalachian State. The Kyocera Southern Conference men's and women's
championships will be hosted by Chattanooga at Maclellan Gym and the
McKenzie Arena March 2-5.
February 14, 2005
UTC Sports Information
www.GoMocs.com
Anne C. Wehunt
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
Women's Sports Information Director
(o) 423-425-4618
(f) 423-425-4610
(c) 423-505-2353
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