The norm in recent games for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga women's basketball team has been for unsung heroes to come through at key moments.
The Mocs had some of that Thursday night against UNC Greensboro but largely relied on their heavy hitters for results.
The team's three leading scorers for the season combined for 53 points, matching the Spartans' team output in a 21-point Southern Conference victory in Greensboro, N.C. Jasmine Joyner had 21 points, 13 rebounds and five blocked shots, while Queen Alford and Keiana Gilbert contributed 18 and 14 points and five rebounds apiece.
Point guard Alicia Payne scored only five points but handed out six assists and had three steals as part of a defensive effort that harassed UNCG guard Lucy Mason - the league's leading scorer - to 19 points on 7-for-23 shooting.
UTC coach Jim Foster was particularly pleased with a second-half defensive effort that limited the Spartans to 26 percent shooting on 35 attempts.
"I thought we were tentative at times (offensively) but aggressive most of the evening," Foster said on the postgame radio broadcast. "I had to get on Queen a little bit to be more aggressive, and I think Red (Payne), just to assert some leadership. In the first half, I didn't think our transition defense was what it needed to be.
"Overall, I liked our intensity."
Foster praised Joyner as well as the versatile Moses Johnson, who chipped in 12 points and nine rebounds off the bench.
"I thought Moses came in and did a very good job," Foster said. "Maybe her best all-around performance of the year. It is fun to watch a player grow. She has a better sense of how to play the game of basketball right now. There are a lot of things that she doesn't try to do that she tried to do.
"She continues to work on her game, and I think that is a very positive thing for us."
The Mocs (17-7, 8-2), who remain a game behind Mercer and Samford in the conference standings, play their final game away from McKenzie today at Western Carolina at 2. The Catamounts nearly upended East Tennessee State on Thursday in Cullowhee, N.C., falling by two in a game they led for most of the fourth quarter.
After today, the Mocs host Mercer, Samford and ETSU in their final three regular-season games.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him at twitter.com/genehenleytfp.