CHARLESTON, S.C. — We’re live, from the nearly empty North Charleston Coliseum, where No. 2 seed Western Carolina just took care of Wofford 78-61 — without too much difficulty.
Wofford coach Edgar Farmer Jr., with his team down by 16, called a timeout with 2.9 seconds left and then had his players foul to stop the clock. It seemed an odd thing to do, but he apparently wanted the chance to sub for his only senior, Kelsi Koenig, who got hugs and high-fives from the Terriers as she walked off the court for the last time.
Of the maybe 200 folks in the stands, the majority were wearing Western purple, so they’ve got a reason to hang around one of this country’s greatest cities for a couple of days.
Of course, a steady rain is falling outside, and has been all morning, so this isn’t the perfect day to hit the beach or take a walking tour of downtown. But there are still dozens of fine places to eat. For those willing to pony up for an exquisite dining experience, try Fulton Five, which is located near the corner of Fulton and King.
It’s outstanding Italian food that even the folks at Fodors rated 5 out of 5. The only time I’ve ever been was several years ago, and my dad picked up the tab — which is probably part of the reason my meal was so good.
The Lady Mocs and UNC-Greensboro are on the court warming up right now. There are maybe 150 UTC fans sitting together behind the Lady Mocs’ bench. I can’t see any UNC-G fans, but there are probably a few scattered about.
This should be a rather easy win for UTC, if the first two games this season are any indication, but don’t be surprised if the Lady Mocs come out a bit tight. They, after all, are the ones with something to lose in this tournament.
UPDATE: The Lady Mocs made seven of their first nine 3-point attempts and the game was well in hand after about 10 minutes. Alex Anderson rattled in a jumper to put the Lady Mocs up by 25 with 2:43 to play in the half and Kristen Spann scored at the buzzer, though it looked like the horn sounded while she still had the ball, to give UTC a 46-17 at halftime.
The second half could last a while since the starters probably won’t play too much.
UPDATE Part Deux: The final was 78-33 and, if it can be said, it probably wasn’t that close. The Lady Mocs’ starters got to sit and watch for the final 12 minutes or so. Combine that with tomorrow’s day off and UTC will be very well rested heading into Sunday’s semifinal against either Georgia Southern or the College of Charleston, who play tomorrow.
E-mail John Frierson at jfrierson@timesfreepress.com
John Frierson is in his fifth year at the Times Free Press and fifth year covering University of Tennessee at Chattanooga athletics. The bulk of his time is spent covering Mocs football, but he also writes about women’s basketball and the big-picture issues and news involving the athletic department. A native of Athens, Ga., John grew up a few hundred yards from the University of Georgia campus. Instead of becoming a Bulldog he attended Ole ...
