NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. — Laura Hall put her head down, used a screen and sped to the basket less than five minutes into the game.
Her shot found its way through the net.
So did six other field goals and six free throws to help the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga win its third straight Southern Conference women’s basketball tournament.
The senior point guard diced Western Carolina’s half-court defense with the help of screens and cut through its second-half press, keeping the Catamounts at bay in the Lady Mocs’ 71-59 victory.
“She has played extremely well against Western Carolina, and she’s played well in big games in general,” UTC coach Wes Moore said. “She did well with the pick off the top when we played them 10 days ago, and we wanted to try that again.
“Obviously, she was a big difference-maker.”
Hall scored 18 and 19 points in two regular-season games against the Catamounts.
WCU coach Kelly Harper — who recruited Hall and the other UTC seniors when she was an assistant under Moore — said defending the Lady Mocs’ 3-point shooters and Alex Anderson were the priority that left Hall available to score. She made half of UTC’s four 3s in her 22 points.
“The way we play Chattanooga, we’re going to give up some things,” Harper said. “We’re not going to give up 3s. I’d say for most teams, holding them to four is pretty good.
“We’ve tried just about every possible way to defend the ball screen, and we haven’t figured out one that works.”
Harper wanted to change defenses continually in an attempt to confuse Hall and the rest of the Lady Mocs.
“Laura, first of all, is extremely intelligent,” Harper said. “She is the kid that makes them go. Everything goes through her. She does exactly what (Moore) wants her to do.”
Hall usually figured it out, but not always.
She lost the ball and fell on the floor during one attempt to split defenders. She had four assists and three turnovers.
“It felt like there were eight different presses and they made it difficult to get up the floor,” Hall said. “Coach wanted me to take it up the court, but I didn’t find much success, so I’d throw it ahead to Alex or Erin (Ogan).”
Then she would get it back and make the smart decision, which often turned out to be scoring.
David Uchiyama is a sports writer at the Chattanooga Times Free Press who began his tenure here in May 2001. His primary beats are UTC athletics — specifically men’s basketball and athletic department administration — and golf, which includes coverage from the PGA Tour to youth events. He also covers other high school sports, outdoor adventures, and contributes to other sections of the newspaper when necessary. David grew up in Salinas, Calif., and began working ...
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