The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga women’s basketball team couldn’t overcome another poor shooting performance, and as a result the Mocs’ losing streak is now eight games.
UTC lost 58-47 to Middle Tennessee State University on Saturday in the second game of the Fordham Holiday Classic in the Bronx, New York.
The Mocs (4-10) will play Maine (7-5) in today’s 1 p.m. consolation game. MTSU (9-3) faces host Fordham (8-5) in the championship game that will follow. The Rams defeated Maine 74-62 in overtime behind Bre Cavanaugh’s 27 points.
UTC fell behind 9-0 against the Lady Raiders and trailed 36-24 at halftime despite outshooting and outrebounding them. Fifteen turnovers, however, led to 20 MTSU points.
The Mocs had a 13-6 edge on rebounds in the third quarter, and they pulled within 44-37 with 21 seconds left in the period. When Arianne Whitaker converted a layup off a nice feed from Mya Long, MTSU’s lead was down to six with seven minutes to play in the game.
However, UTC went scoreless over the next three minutes, part of a 4-for-16 shooting performance in the final period that allowed the Lady Raiders to pull away.
MTSU’s A’Queen Hayes, after a slow start, had game highs with 18 points, seven rebounds, four steals and four assists. Alex Johnson added 17 points for the Lady Raiders, who never trailed.
Bria Dial led UTC with 12 points, including three 3-pointers, with reserve Long adding 11 points. Lakelyn Bouldin and Whitaker led the Mocs’ 39-28 rebounding edge with six apiece.
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6296. Follow him on Twitter @youngsports22.