The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga women's basketball team went undefeated in December, winning its six games by an average of 14 points.
Following a week off, the Lady Mocs (8-3) got back to work Friday with two practices. They have ended 2011 on a roll, but seventh-ranked Tennessee awaits Tuesday.
"It's tough, but it's good," sophomore guard Meghan Downes said before UTC's second practice Friday. "You've just got to push through it."
The Lady Mocs were 2-3 after dropping both games in the Cancun Challenge, but they haven't lost since.
"We're 8-1 in America," Lady Mocs coach Wes Moore joked following UTC's 88-80 win at East Tennessee State on Dec. 22. Two of UTC's losses occurred in Mexico, and the only one on U.S. soil was at No. 1 Baylor.
Downes scored a career-high 19 points in UTC's win at ETSU. Downes said she was as surprised as anyone by her performance off the bench, which included four 3-pointers.
"I didn't feel it coming at all," said Downes, whose previous high was 10 points. "It just kind of happened."
What happened to Taylor Hall at ETSU was less pleasant. The forward had part of a tooth knocked out, and she accidentally swallowed it.
The tooth was fixed the next day, and when she smiled Friday, it was impossible to tell which tooth had been broken.
After the game Moore raved about Hall's toughness -- she kept playing and finished with eight points and 11 rebounds. Hall shrugged that off, however.
"I had broken it before, so I guess that was why I was like 'no big deal,'" she said. "You don't really need your teeth to play."
Hall doesn't wear a mouthpiece, but that might change.
"My mom's pushing for that," she said, "but not yet."
Hall has had five double-digit rebounding games already this season and leads the Southern Conference with 8.6 per game.