Shock and awe.
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga women’s basketball team began its Southern Conference opener Saturday afternoon at Wofford with a flurry and cruised to an easy 70-43 victory, breaking a school record in the process.
Sophomore post player Jasmine Joyner blocked five shots to set a UTC record with 66 blocks through 16 games this season. She also scored 11 points and had grabbed five rebounds in the win.
The Mocs (13-3) started fast against the Terriers, leading 12-2 with 15:49 in the first half and stretching the advantage to 23-5 in the next 2:42. UTC shot 66.7 percent from the floor and a blistering 7-of-12 from 3-point range. Senior Ka’Vonne Towns and junior Alicia “Red” Payne combined for five 3-pointers in the first 20 minutes to give the Mocs a 39-23 lead.
“I thought we moved the ball and got quality looks at the 3-point line,” UTC coach Jim Foster said on the postgame radio show. “We made the extra pass often, and we just did a lot of little things that way.”
Towns finished with 15 points — all on 3-pointers — and Payne scored a career-best 12 points.
“After the last game (at Harvard), when I went 0-for-7 from the floor, I thought I contributed in other ways,” Payne said. “But Coach Foster told me that I had to score more and help my teammates. So my mindset today was that I wanted to help my teammates score, and that’s what I did.”
With the game well in hand, Foster was able to get significant minutes for some of his reserves. Every active player on the UTC roster played at least 10 minutes, and first-year players Sydney Vanlandingham and Ansley Childon combined for eight points and four rebounds.
Getting reserves into the game, Foster said, “has a lot of value and it allows you to make some teaching points. Some of the players who still are working on things need to continue to work on things to get better, and it’s one thing in practice. You sort of get used to playing against each other.”
With leading scorer Jordan Frazier out of the lineup for a second straight game with a high ankle sprain, Wofford (4-11, 0-1) was led by Maria Corella with 14 points, and Ashton Fleming had a double-double with 10 points and 14 rebounds. The Mocs held the Terriers to 28 percent shooting from the floor, including just 8-for-34 in the second half.
Payne complemented her scoring output with five assists and three steals while committing only one turnover, but her newfound scoring threat is making the junior defensive specialist into a dangerous player on both ends of the court.
In addition to her scoring, Payne had five assists and three steals while committing only one turnover, but her newfound scoring threat is making the junior defensive specialist into a dangerous player on both ends of the court.
“Red is a smart basketball player who as a role player was sort of viewed for her energy and never developed some of the other aspects of her game,” Foster said. “Now that she’s on the floor for longer periods of time, there are some things that she is getting better at.
“If she shoots the ball well, she becomes just a terrific player and has a chance to make us a very good team.”