UTC Mocs logoSPARTANBURG, S.C. - Not much went right for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga women's basketball team in the first half Monday night at Benjamin Johnson Arena. Despite poor shooting and rebounding, however, the Lady Mocs still led Wofford at the break.
Much, much more went the Lady Mocs' way in the second half and they pulled away for a 63-44 Southern Conference win -- the program's 32nd straight over the Terriers.
"We played good enough defense in the first half and forced enough turnovers to keep us in the game," said UTC coach Wes Moore, whose team shot 31 percent in the first half and 44.4 in the second.
The Lady Mocs (18-3, 11-1) moved into first place by themselves in the league standings. Davidson (13-8, 10-1), which was tied for the lead, is off until Saturday.
Wofford (6-14, 1-11) is at the bottom of the standings.
UTC point guard Alex Black and backup wing Tatianna Jackson provided big sparks in the second half. Black led all scorers with 14 points, going 3-for-3 from 3-point range, and most of Jackson's numbers (seven points, three steals, two rebounds and two assists) came in a short burst.
"Alex hit three 3s, which I thought was big -- maybe get her on track," Moore said. "[Jackson] obviously gave us a lift [off the bench], and she's been doing a great job of that."
With UTC up 41-35 with 10:17 to play, Jackson got a steal, scored and converted the three-point play after being fouled. Soon after, she got another steal and fed Black for a layup. She made one of two free throws after being fouled on UTC's next possession, and she scored on a layup following a Black steal to make the margin 49-35 with 8:28 remaining.
Black provided UTC's next five points, hitting a 3 and scoring inside.
The Lady Mocs finished with 16 steals and 13 turnovers, while the Terriers turned the ball over 23 times.
UTC hosts Samford on Wednesday at McKenzie Arena.