The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga women’s basketball team has already locked up a share of the Southern Conference regular-season championship. That’s 11 in a row for coach Wes Moore, who’s in his 12th season with the Lady Mocs.
With a win tonight at Western Carolina, UTC (20-7, 15-3 SoCon) can win the league outright and clinch the top seed in the SoCon tournament.
“That’s what I’m proud of, the consistency,” Moore said. “I think there are several teams in this league right now that are just as talented as we are, but our kids have won a lot of close games. They’ve just found a way to get it done.”
The streak looked like it might be in jeopardy after UTC was blown out, 74-52, in its SoCon opener at Samford on Dec. 30. But the Lady Mocs have lost just twice since, thanks in large part to their ability to win close games. Seven of UTC’s 15 league wins were by 7 points or less.
Mocs men’s basketball coach John Shulman said Moore’s greatest strength is his ability to recruit, but at the same time, Shulman added, “there’s a lot of people out there that have great players that are still losing.”