STATESBORO, GA – Carolyn Whitney and Samantha Williams combined for 27 points, but a late first half Chattanooga run sealed the win for the Lady Mocs Saturday afternoon (Feb. 6). UTC posted a 15-2 run to close out the opening frame with a 40-24 lead - a margin Georgia Southern could not cut as the Lady Eagles fell, 70-48 in Hanner Fieldhouse.
The loss dropped GS to 13-10 overall and 8-6 in Southern Conference play. Chattanooga, meanwhile, picked up its 13th straight win, improving to 18-6, 13-2.
“It was one of those flat days that snowballed on us. When you lose your composure, it’s hard to regain it, especially against the top team,” stated head coach Rusty Cram. “You have to be at the top of your game if you’re going to play with them and when you’re missing on a couple cylinders, it shows.”
Georgia Southern was held to a 36 percent clip from the floor and 50 percent from the charity stripe. Whitney (Duluth, Ga.) led with 14 points with Williams (Kingsport, Tenn.) following right behind with a career-high tying 13 points. Jessica Geiger (Stone Mountain, Ga.) led on the boards for the Lady Eagles, securing eight rebounds, six defensive.
Chattanooga scored 32 points in the paint led by Jenaya Wade-Fray with a game-leading 20 points. Shanara Hollinquest added 13 points, while Kayla Christopher contributed 12. UTC nailed 10 treys in the contest, four coming from Christopher and three from Wade-Fray. Hollinquest picked up a double-double with 10 rebounds, leading the way for the Lady Mocs who won the edge on glass, 36-30.
Georgia Southern struck first after winning the tip and climbed out to a 10-5 lead five minutes into the game, but two consecutive buckets from the Lady Mocs drew the score to 10-9 with 13:18 on the clock. Wade-Fray then pushed UTC in the lead, 13-12, on two from the free throw line. Christopher nailed a three-pointer before Geiger scored in the paint for a 16-14, UTC lead. Leading by two, the Lady Mocs scored five answered to grab a 25-18 advantage as the clock hit 5:29.
Krista Tate (Atlanta, Ga.) connected on a pair of free throws and Whitney hit a jumper to make it a three-point ballgame, 25-22, at 4:14. But Chattanooga responded keeping Georgia Southern scoreless for the next three minutes while building a double-digit lead, 38-22, using a 15-0 run. Whitney snapped the scoreless Lady Eagle drought with a jumper but Hollinquest closed out the half as a lay-up rolled in for a 40-24 halftime lead.
Chattanooga continued to pull away after intermission, harboring a 20-point advantage within the first four minutes. The Lady Mocs maintained a double-digit lead the remainder of the game with the Lady Eagles only closing to within 15 points twice. Williams cut the lead to 52-37 using the team’s lone three-pointer of the contest at the 10:53 marker. Whitney would cut the score to 15 the second time with a successful trip to the charity stripe shooting two.
Wade-Fray hit one from beyond the three-point arc with 5:58 in the game to give Chattanooga a 21-point lead, 60-39 - a lead never cut below 20 thereafter. With 18 seconds on the clock, Williams hit a lay-up in the paint to tie her career-high of 13 points and finalize the 70-48 score.
Georgia Southern returns to the court on Monday, February 8 against Samford. Tip inside Hanner Fieldhouse is slated for a 7 p.m. start on Bulloch County Elementary Education Night. All teachers, staff and students that identify their Bulloch County Elementary school at the ticket booth outside Hanner Fieldhouse will receive free entry into the contest.
