Alex Black made University of Tennessee at Chattanooga women’s basketball coach Wes Moore look like a genius Tuesday night.
Moore inserted the true freshman into the starting lineup for the first time against Austin Peay, and the quick 5-foot-8 guard from Memphis delivered. Black helped UTC get off to a fast start with 12 first-half points and the Lady Mocs led from start to finish in a 71-61 victory, their first of the season.
“I was surprised at first that I even started,” said Black, who was told she’d be starting during Moore’s pregame talk, “but once I got out there I just wanted to really play hard.”
Black, who finished with 13 points, hit a 3-pointer to open the game and had seven points early as UTC (1-3) built a 20-6 lead less than seven minutes into the game.
“I think I’m getting more and more confidence because my practices have been getting better,” she said, “and I’m beginning to understand the way [Moore] wants me to play and the way Chattanooga plays.”
Moore, who took forward Bailey Dewart out of the lineup to make room for Black, said he made the change for matchup reasons.
“I just felt like we had to go with a little bit quicker lineup,” he said.
Black got UTC going early, but Whitney Hood was the difference in the second half. She scored 19 of her game-high 27 points in the final 20 minutes.
The Lady Mocs led 38-33 at halftime and were in front 45-37 when Austin Peay (1-4) cut the margin to 45-42. Hood hit back-to-back shots, followed by back-to-back layups by Kylie Lambert to push the margin to 53-42 with 12:44 remaining.
Point guard Tenisha Townsend finished with 14 points, seven assists and no turnovers, and Lambert added six points and a career-high 10 rebounds.
The Lady Mocs, who were 3-for-16 from 3-point range, were most effective when they attacked. That led to a lot of baskets in the lane and 24 trips to the free-throw line. Austin Peay was called for 13 fouls in the second half, to just one for UTC.
The Lady Mocs fly to California this morning for this weekend’s Cal State Northridge Thanksgiving Classic. UTC will take on Wyoming on Friday at 8 p.m. EST.
Contact John Frierson at jfrierson@timesfreepress.com or (423) 757-6268. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/mocsbeatCTFP.