Murphy’s 3 is key shot for Mocs as streak hits nine games
Left with no other option, Karsen Murphy knew she needed to get a shot off.
As it turns out, the only play available was also a great idea.
Murphy made sure of it.
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga forward knocked down her second 3 of the game with 1:05 remaining in Sunday’s matchup with Eastern Kentucky at McKenzie Arena, stretching a one-point lead out and allowing the Mocs to pull away for a 52-44 victory, their ninth consecutive win of the season.
Now 11-1, the Mocs will travel to Cherokee, North Carolina, to play in the Cherokee Invitational on Wednesday and Thursday. UTC faces Coastal Carolina (5-6) at 7 p.m. Wednesday, and then will play either Michigan State (8-2) or Richmond (9-2) — those teams face off in Wednesday’s late matchup — the following day.
Murphy scored 11 points against Eastern Kentucky (9-3) while hitting two of the Mocs’ three 3s in the game. The 6-foot junior finished 2-for-6 from behind the arc, part of a 3-for-13 showing by UTC from long range, but she didn’t let any earlier misses keep her from trying again when the play was there.
“I just knew I needed to step in and shoot the ball with confidence,” Murphy said of her second 3. “Coming out of the timeout, Coach (Shawn) Poppie was saying for us to shoot with confidence, which was something that we were obviously lacking the entire game, but it helped that the shot clock was winding down, so I really had no other choice.”
UTC trailed 15-14 after the first quarter but went into halftime ahead 22-19 after neither team scored over the final 3:29 of the second quarter. The home team’s lead was 34-30 entering the fourth.
Jada Guinn had a team-high 19 points for the Mocs despite battling some foul trouble, while Raven Thompson came back from a one-game absence due to a lower-body injury to score nine points, grab five rebounds and block two shots in 16 minutes off the bench. Addie Porter did not score, but the 5-foot-4 point guard had 10 rebounds, and Caia Elisaldez had eight points and three steals.
Ivy Turner, with 13 points, was the only
Eastern Kentucky scorer in double figures, but Sierra McCullough had 10 rebounds.
UTC shot just 40% from the field but held the Colonels to 34% and forced 24 turnovers, including a combined 15 from guards Antwainette Walker and Alice Recanati. The Mocs got 11 fast-break points as a result and had a 30-18 advantage in points in the paint.
“This group is a phenomenal group of people that have played for each other,” Poppie said. “They’re doing things the right way, and we look forward to continuing to build it in the new year.”
The Mocs have an extended break from play after the Cherokee Invitational before hosting North Carolina Central on Jan. 3 to wrap up their nonconference schedule and start a four-game homestand. The reigning Southern Conference tournament champions will tip off league play by hosting Mercer on Jan. 10, then face Samford on Jan. 13 and East Tennessee State on Jan. 20.