Lady Mocs target defense, rebounds

In its 79-69 loss at No. 17 Georgia last Friday, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga women's basketball team hit 13 3-point baskets.

All those 3s kept the Lady Mocs close while the Lady Dogs were dominating in a lot of areas. And it's in those areas - defense and rebounding, especially - that UTC must improve if it's to get its first win of the season tonight against Austin Peay (1-3).

"We've got a lot of areas that are still a concern," Lady Mocs coach Wes Moore said, "but there's at least some hope now."

That hope comes from the fact that UTC (0-3) held Georgia to 33 points in the second half and shot 45.5 percent from the field (13 of 26 from 3-point range).

After being blown out at No. 4 Tennessee in its previous game, UTC competed hard at Georgia. There were 18 lead changes in the first half, and the Lady Mocs finished with 17 assists on 25 field goals.

"I think there were a lot of good things that we can bring out of the game," said Kayla Christopher, who is averaging nine points per game.

Moore said he's still trying to figure out his rotation for his young team that has just two returning starters and must use three freshmen and several older players who haven't played much because of injuries.

"It's still a work in progress because I've got some kids that just don't get it yet," he said. "They don't understand that the people that bust their tail and battle and are physical, they're going to get playing time.

"We've got kids that [when] they get bumped they hit the ground. They get a little bit of pressure, they want to shy away from it."

Both UTC and Austin Peay have had their problems on the glass this season. The Lady Mocs have been out-rebounded 139-93, while the Lady Govs have been out-rebounded 149-122.

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