UTC's Taylor HallASHEVILLE, N.C. - The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga took a while to get going, but the Lady Mocs did in the second half of their quarterfinal game against Furman tonight in the Southern Conference women's basketball tournament at Kimmel Arena.
The third-seeded Lady Mocs struggled through the opening half before Taylor Hall led a rejuvenated, high-energy effort in the second that paved the way for a 60-38 win over the sixth-seeded Paladins.
Hall, the reigning SoCon player of the week, was a game-changer in the second half. She hit her first four 3-pointers in the period after a scoreless first 20 minutes, finishing with 16 points.
Hood kept UTC going in the first half with 10 points and the senior, who made the coaches' and media's All-SoCon squads for the second year in a row, finished with 14 and eight revounds.
The Lady Mocs (22-8) outscored Furman 43-16 in the second half - with less than three minutes remaining Hall had 16 second-half points to Furman's 14.
UTC will face No. 2 Appalachian State in the semifinals at 2:30 p.m. Sunday at the U.S. Cellular Center. The Mountaineers routed Western Carolina 61-43 to reach the semis.
For more Mocs coverage, see tomorrow's Times Free Press. You can also follow beat writer John Frierson on Twitter at twitter.com/mocsbeatCTFP.