Feb. 6, 2005

Final Stats

Chattanooga, Tenn. - Between the two halves Saturday night, Western Carolina was held scoreless for a combined 18 minutes and 47 seconds, while a pair of Lady Mocs teamed up for double-doubles to lead Chattanooga past Southern Conference foe Western Carolina, 62-47, at McKenzie Arena.

For Western, it was the fourth-consecutive loss to Chattanooga since defeating the Mocs on their home floor in February of 2003, the last time UTC lost at home to a conference team.

Western (9-12, 5-9), which entered the game as the league's top scoring team, was limited to its lowest offensive output of the season, 23 points below its average 70 points per game. Also, for only the second-time this season, WCU was held without a double-digit scorer. The Lady Catamounts' leading scorer, and two-time defending SoCon Player of the Week, Jennifer Gardner led the way with eight points and five rebounds. By virtue of her eight points, the she moved into a tie for sixth on the WCU All-time scoring chart with Pam Owens with 1,173 career points.

Junior Teyawna Hardy and freshman post Jessika Johnson each chipped in seven points off the bench helping the reserves outscore WCU's starting five for the first time in eight games, 28-19. Starting senior Shaketia Barnes added six points, all from the free throw line, while freshman guard Ashley Pellom drained a pair of 3-pointers to reach her six point total.

Chattanooga (19-3, 14-1) was led by Tiffani Roberson and Alex Anderson, each with double-double performances in their eighth-straight victory. Roberson tallied her third double dip this year with 14 points and 10 rebounds, while Anderson grabbed the first in her career with 11 points and 12 rebounds. Nicole Mattison had eight rebounds and six assists and Katasha Brown chipped in eight points and five off the glass.

In the first half, Chattanooga's Laura Hall drove the lane and put in a layup at 10:51 to tie the game for the fifth time at 14-all, sparking what would be a 17-0 run that put Chattanooga in the driver's seat for good. The spurt coincided with Gardner picking up two quick personals and being forced to the bench. UTC Freshmen Amy Mohr and Brooke Hand tallied a pair of 3-pointers and Katasha Brown capped off the run with two free tosses to put UTC up 29-14 at 4:26. During the run, Western committed four turnovers and missed nine shots, including a pair of free throws.

The Mocs maintained their advantage, leading at the break 35-21. Chattanooga shot 36.6 percent in the first half on 15-of-41 and held the Cats to just 8-of-25 in the period, or 32-percent. The 21 first half points tied a season-low for output in the opening 20 minutes.

Chattanooga came out strong in the second half with a 13-2 run and built its lead to as much as 29 points with 4:58 to play to cruise to the victory. Western struggled from the floor in the final 20 minutes, not scratching the scoreboard for the first four minutes of the final half and only netting a total of three points in the first 10 minutes. The Lady Cats shot a season-low 21.9 percent from the floor in the second half, and tied an additional low for points in the second half, 47. Western did close the game with a 16-2 run, forcing the Mocs to miss six of their final seven shots from the floor.

Chattanooga won a decisive victory on the boards, out rebounding the league-leaders 55-42, including 21 offensive rebounds, and scored 28 points off 18 turnovers while the Lady Catamounts had just seven on 14 takeaways.

UTC shot 38.9 percent from the floor including a 3-of-19 effort from the 3-point line. The Cats were 15-for-57 from the floor and 4-of-15 from beyond the arc shooting 26.3 percent on the night.

The Lady Catamounts will return home Monday, February 7 for the first half of a Catamount hoops doubleheader. Western hosts East Tennessee State at the Ramsey Center at 5:00 pm, while the men will host Appalachian State on Beach Night in Cullowhee.