Lady Mocs Ashlen Dewart (44) runs a drill during practice at the Chattem Practice Facility.JACKSONVILLE, Ala. — Jim Foster has been experimenting with a bunch of different lineups, trying to find the right combination for his University of Tennessee at Chattanooga women’s basketball team. He had a simple solution Tuesday night against Jacksonville State: Just give the ball to Ashlen Dewart.
The 6-foot-3 senior had 25 points and 10 rebounds, and the Mocs used a 15-4 second-half run to pull away from the host Gamecocks and win 68-53. Dewart was 11-for-17 from the field and 3-for-4 from 3-point range.
Taylor Hall and Meghan Downes each scored 10 points, with Hall adding 11 rebounds and eight assists. The Mocs shot 52.6 percent from the floor as a team and outscored their opponents 46-19 in the paint, but the Gamecocks (2-7) were able to hang around for most of the game because of 16 UTC turnovers.
JSU held a number of one-point leads throughout the second half — the last on a jumper by Destany McLin to make it 41-40 with 13:05 left — but the Mocs went on a 6-0 run, attacking the basket and getting layups by Hall, Dewart and Alicia Payne.
The Mocs’ lead grew to 16 before the final buzzer.