BOONE, N.C. -- At the end of a second half dominated by big scoring runs, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga women's basketball team made the one that mattered most.
The Lady Mocs outscored Appalachian State 17-2 in the final five minutes to beat the Mountaineers 60-53 Saturday at the Holmes Center. The Southern Conference win was UTC's sixth victory in a row and ninth in its past 10 games.
"Nothing comes easy this year, baby," Lady Mocs coach Wes Moore said. "We're fighting our guts out every game."
It was a tough game for UTC's Shanara Hollinquest, who leads the conference in scoring and rebounding. She attempted just four field goals and suffered a bloody nose while finishing with 14 points and eight rebounds.
However, she hit four straight free throws late in the game after going 4-for-10 from the line up to that point. As a team, UTC was 18-for-25 from the line, while the home team went 2-for-4.
The Lady Mocs (11-6, 6-2) haven't lost to Appalachian State (7-8, 3-3) since Dec. 29, 1998. That's either 27 straight wins according to the Mountaineers' media guide or 25 according to UTC's.
Appalachian State trailed 43-36 with 11:57 to play before going on a 15-0 run to take a 51-43 lead. Kayla Christopher's 3-pointer with 5:03 remaining ended a UTC scoring drought of nearly seven minutes.
After an Appalachian State turnover on the ensuing possession, Christopher hit a long 3 as the shot clock wound down to cut the Mountaineers' lead to 51-49 with 4:29 left.
"We weren't hitting any shots, they were on a run and those two 3s by Kayla made all the difference," Moore said.
A minute later, Jenaya Wade-Fray hit a 3 to put UTC up 52-51, and the Lady Mocs never trailed again. Appalachian State missed eight of its last nine field-goal attempts, while UTC went 8-for-8 from the line in the final 2:15.
Tenisha Townsend was UTC's only other player in double figures with 10 points. Wade-Fray and Christopher had eight points and seven rebounds each, with all their points coming in the second half.
Ashlen Dewart, the younger sister of UTC's Bailey Dewart, led the Mountaineers with 14 points. Former Howard standout Catherine Williams from Chattanooga added six.
The Lady Mocs play Monday night at Davidson.
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