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Amy Mohr
NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. — Tournament time is supposed to be tense. It’s supposed to be a pulse-pounding, ulcer-inducing, thrill-a-minute ride, kind of like a Jerry Bruckheimer-produced action movie with lots of car chases and explosions.
Yet it was hard Saturday morning to find a more relaxed-looking bunch than the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga women’s basketball team.
A day after squashing UNC Greensboro 78-33 in the quarterfinals of the Southern Conference tournament, the Lady Mocs were mere spectators at the North Charleston Coliseum. While UTC’s coaches were seated on press row and intently watching fifth-seeded College of Charleston knock off No. 4 seed Georgia Southern, 65-53, the players were casually taking it in from the stands.
Only the top two seeds in the women’s draw had Saturday off, so the top-seeded Lady Mocs and No. 2 seed Western Carolina got to enjoy a whole day without the threat of elimination hanging over their heads.
“It really feels good,” UTC senior Amy Mohr said. “We woke up a little bit early to come see this game (at 9 a.m.), and I think we all felt really energized this morning just being able to have a little bit of a rest and a little bit of extra time to prepare for the next step.”
The next step is today at noon, when UTC faces Charleston for a spot in Monday’s championship game. The Lady Mocs beat the Cougars twice during the regular season, including a 62-36 drubbing in Charleston 15 days ago.
A year ago, the Lady Mocs were in the same position to enjoy a day off, and UTC coach Wes Moore said there was already a routine in place. After seeing the Cougars win, UTC grabbed a quick meal before practicing on the Cougars’ home court at John Kresse Arena. Later in the day, the team returned to the arena to watch the UTC men’s game.
The Lady Mocs, who have won 22 straight, seem to thrive on routines. Moore said he tries to keep everything as comfortable and familiar as possible.
“It’s a comfort zone, a routine where everyone knows what to expect,” he said.
When the Lady Mocs come to Charleston, two things tend to happen: They eat at A.W. Shucks and/or California Dreaming, and they beat whoever they play.
Friday night, a few hours after setting a tournament record with its 45-point win over the Spartans — its 36th consecutive win in South Carolina — UTC filed into A.W. Shucks for dinner. They also ate there two weekends ago when they were in town, and Mohr, a biology major with a 4.0 GPA, suddenly found herself in the role of teacher.
“I had oysters and stuff like that on my plate, and everybody was kind of looking at my plate wondering what everything was,” Mohr said. “So we were having a little biology course going on at the table. I’ve studied the anatomy of a clam before, so I knew what I was talking about — not that I really want to eat it after explaining all that.”
The line between routine, habit or tradition and superstition is blurry and irrelevant as long as someone’s winning. Call it what you want, UTC has its mojo working wherever it goes.
“I think it’s less about things actually aligning well and more about keeping things consistent,” Mohr said. “You tend to be comfortable with things you’ve already experienced.”
Like good food and winning. A tasty combination for anyone.
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 ...
