UTC women hang on for first win of season
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga women’s basketball team picked up its first win of the season Wednesday, holding off Tennessee State 63-57 at the Gentry Center in Nashville.
There’s a quick turnaround for the Southern Conference’s Mocs (1-2) as they continue their run against Ohio Valley Conference opponents by hosting Murray State (2-1) at 7 p.m. Friday. UTC opened with back-to-back losses to Belmont, 88-70, and Tennessee Tech, 85-58, before taking on the Tigers (2-2).
Tennessee State’s fullcourt pressure challenged the Mocs throughout the game, shown by UTC finishing with 26 turnovers, a combined 17 by point guards Dena Jarrells and Addie Porter. When the Mocs broke the pressure they found offensive success, including during a second quarter in which they scored 24 points.
Defensively, UTC forced 19 turnovers and held the Tigers to 31% shooting. The Mocs also made 19 of 24 free throws, including 13 of 14 in the fourth quarter. The Tigers tied the game at 44 with 8:10 to play before UTC’s Destiny McClendon started a 6-0 run with a driving basket, and the Mocs were able to hold on down the stretch.
“They never let up. They never quit fighting,” UTC coach Katie Burrows said on the postgame radio broadcast. “When things weren’t going our way, they still managed to keep their composure, and we’ve not done that the past couple of weeks, so I was really proud to see that.”
Jarrells, a sophomore, had 10 turnovers but also led the Mocs with 14 points and effectively put the game away when she made two free throws in the final 14 seconds with UTC holding a two-point lead. Junior Abbey Cornelius had 13 points and 16 rebounds, and McClendon added 12 points while fellow freshman Porter had 10 in her first career start and classmate Karsen Murphy had eight with 10 rebounds.