CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Lady Mocs kicked back a bit but each of them two eyes on the game playing out before them in Bojangles Coliseum.
UNC Greensboro guard Lakiah Hyson hit two free throws with 18 seconds left and Western Carolina missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer resulting in a 57-55 win for the Spartans.
The Lady Mocs will face UNCG on Friday morning at 11:30 in their third matchup of the season.
“Greensboro is very athletic on the perimeter and they have some size to contend with,” UTC coach Wes Moore said. “Their guards can take you out of what you want to do.
“We’ll have our hands full.”
Hyson led UNCG (10-19) with 20 points. Monique Floyd had 15 and Agnes Girstautaite added 10.
Emily Clarke led led Western Carolina (7-23) with 20 points and Kaila’Shea Menendez with 12 points.
UNCG led 30-20 at halftime and never trailed but the Lady Cats tied the game at 55 with 1:13 to play. But they never scored again.
“We played pretty good defense down the stretch,” said UNCG coach Lynn Agee who lost both matchups with UTC this season. “I think the last two minutes were crucial as we were tying to close it out.”
The UTC men’s team will face Georgia Southern at 9:30 p.m.
See Friday’s Times Free Press for more coverage of the Southern Conference tournament. You can follow David Uchiyama on Twitter at twitter.com/UchSports