The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga women’s basketball team shook off a slow start and used uncharacteristic outside shooting and a crucial second-half run to take control for a 65-54 win at UT-Martin on Saturday night.
Chelsea Shumpert scored 16 points on 6-of-12 shooting, including four 3-pointers, and senior Ka’Vonne Towns made half of her 10 3-point shots for 15 points to lead the Mocs (6-3) to the win to cap a three-game road stretch. Jasmine Joyner added 14 points and helped give UTC the lead for good early in the second period.
UTC was without Aryanna Gilbert, who was injured in practice in the two days since UTC’s win at Belmont, and starters Keiana Gilbert and Joyner picked up two fouls each before the halfway point of the opening period, which allowed UT-Martin to lead 33-28 at halftime.
With those players on the bench, lesser-used players Ansley Chilton, Sydney Vanlandingham and Anna Claire Noblit had to play more minutes than usual, keeping the Mocs in the game.
“In the first half some silly fouls and some legit fouls got us into foul trouble,” UTC coach Jim Foster said on the postgame radio broadcast. “Our bench came in and did a credible job — not a great job, but a credible job — and allowed us to stay withing striking distance.”
“Then going out in the second half not in foul trouble … allowed us to really ramp it up defensively and change the complexion of the game.”
Defensive pressure in the second half sparked the Mocs’ run. They got 12 of their 17 steals in the final 20 minutes, when they turned the five-point deficit into a 15-point lead with just under nine minutes to play.
“We just did a very good job,” Foster said. “We allowed them to get the ball into the post too easily in the first half. We made some adjustments and made it more difficult in the second half, and our guards really ramped up the pressure on the perimeter and made them throw longer passes.”
UTC’s shooting improved in the second half also, to 50 percent from the field. The normally interior- and midrange-shooting Mocs also put up 31 3-point shots, making 11 to pull away from the Skyhawks.
“That’s what was there today, and this team is doing pretty good at recognizing what’s there,” Foster said of the team’s outside shooting. “Jas had her little run offensively to help us take the lead, and they started collapsing in that area. We were making the next pass and getting real good looks on the perimeter.”
UT-Martin (3-7) was led by Ashia Jones with 27 points, and Tiara Caldwell had a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
The Mocs’ level of competition goes up again this week as No. 7 Stanford visits Chattanooga for a game Wednesday at 6 p.m.