University of Tennessee at Chattanooga women's basketball coach Wes Moore didn't have a lot of good things to say about last Sunday's scrimmage against Georgia Tech.
The Yellow Jackets, who play an aggressive, pressing game, harassed the Lady Mocs and made it a long day, Moore said. It was an eye-opening experience for his young team.
"We've got a long way to go," Moore said. "Georgia Tech's long and athletic and had a whole lot of bodies, and they just kept coming at you in waves. ... It's hard to run your stuff against them. You pretty much just have to read and react to what they're doing."
Adding to UTC's struggles was its lack of numbers. Kylie Lambert is still out with a broken toe and Bailey Dewart and Kiara Smith are limited because of knee problems.
"We went down there shorthanded, and they took it to us," Moore said.
The Lady Mocs will play an exhibition game against Lee University on Thursday at McKenzie Arena. The Flames, who went 31-6 last season, are ranked No. 7 in the NAIA preseason poll and will give UTC another test before the Lady Mocs' Nov. 12 season opener against East Tennessee State.
"I think Thursday's really important for us, especially for our freshmen to kind of get the nerves out," sophomore guard Kayla Christopher said. "I think that it's a good test for us before ETSU."
UTC will play Lee at 5:30 p.m., followed by the men's exhibition against Tennessee Wesleyan at 8.
Moore said among his goals for the exhibition are for the Lady Mocs to "run our stuff and maybe look a little more organized." Tech's pressure Sunday limited UTC's opportunities to run its offense and get the ball inside to forward Whitney Hood, who will anchor the Lady Mocs' attack down low as Shanara Hollinquest and Alex Anderson did before her.
Lambert, who has been out since the first week of practice, will see her doctor today and could be cleared to play soon.
Contact John Frierson at jfrierson@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6268. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/mocsbeat.