A poor first half handling the ball and a lack of offensive execution in the final quarter were too much for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga women’s basketball team, which narrowly lost 50-49 to Austin Peay on Sunday afternoon at McKenzie Arena.
UTC (1-6) committed 28 turnovers, with 21 of those in the first half against the Governors’ full-court press, but had two chances to win the game late. Senior Lakelyn Bouldin missed two shots in the final six seconds, including one at the buzzer that came up short.
“We were looking for (Eboni Williams) off the back cut, but they guarded it well,” said Bouldin, who finished with 15 points and eight rebounds. “The shot we had was our second option. We got the look, but we didn’t execute.”
Austin Peay (5-1) was led by Arielle Gonzelez-Varner with 18 points.
The Mocs opened the game with a basket by Williams, but the Governors’ pressure caused UTC problems. The Mocs committed 10 turnovers in the first quarter and 11 in the second. Williams – who scored 12 points and pulled down a team-best nine rebounds – committed seven of her 10 turnovers in the opening 20 minutes of the game.