Wednesday night's performance by the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga women's basketball team ensured Thanksgiving will be especially happy for the Mocs. UTC jumped out to an early lead and cruised to a 75-60 win over Liberty University at McKenzie Arena.
The Mocs (3-2) got contributions from up and down the bench, with 13 players getting in the game and 10 scoring. The outcome was especially heartening after Monday's 74-59 defeat at Virginia Tech.
"This was very important for us because we were coming off a loss, and this is big motivation for us right now," sophomore guard Mya Long said. "We really needed this as a team."
Long scored 13 points, and freshman Eboni Williams led the Mocs with 15. Also in double figures for the Mocs were junior Lakelyn Bouldin (11) and fifth-year senior Shelbie Davenport (10). The Mocs shot 46.3 percent from the field, including 9-for-18 on 3-pointers, and were 16-for-20 on free throws.
UTC - with freshmen Abbey Cornelius and Morgan Hill making their first collegiate starts - jumped on the Lady Flames from the beginning, with Bouldin and Davenport combining for 17 points to build a 23-13 lead after the first quarter.
The Mocs kept up the pressure in the second quarter, holding the Lady Flames (1-3) to four points and taking a 36-17 lead into the break.
"I just think it was a good team win, first of all," senior guard Molly Melton said. "This is the first game we were all kind of on the same page and clicking, so it was a lot of fun to be out there today."
UTC coach Katie Burrows chose to let Cornelius and Hill start after strong performances off the bench in the Mocs' first four games of the season. Cornelius responded with six points and a team-best six rebounds, while Hill scored two points.
"When I looked at my stat line from Monday night, I started looking at production, and Abbey is just getting it on the boards," Burrows said. "She's taking care of business, and she finally hit a couple of shots with contact on Monday. She'd been struggling with scoring after contact.
"With Morgan Hill, she didn't score a lot of points tonight, but she has been scoring for us and she's a very smart player."
Burrows cautioned her team at halftime against complacency, and Long kept Liberty from having a chance at the upset by scoring nine of her points in the third quarter with a 3-for-3 performance from 3-point range.
"When we went in the half, we just reminded them how easy it is to lose a 20-point lead," Burrows said. "I kept reminding them that it just takes a few shots and they're back in it. So I challenged them to put four quarters together."
Beyond the scoring, Melton made an impression across the stat sheet. Despite scoring only a single point with a free throw in the fourth quarter, the senior was a force for UTC with five steals, five assists and four rebounds while directing the action on offense and defense.
"A lot of people don't realize what Molly brings to the table for us," Burrows said. "She's so small and she doesn't score a lot, but she can get up and under people like nobody's business. I put her on the ball for a reason."
The Lady Flames were led by 21 points from Emily Lytle, but the sophomore did most of her damage in the fourth quarter when Liberty outscored UTC 29-19 as Burrows got her bench some valuable playing time. Keirra Johnson-Graham, with 14 points, was the only other Liberty player who scored in double figures.
UTC freshman Pare Pene and freshman walk-on Liz Wood got their first college playing time, and Pene, from New Zealand, scored five points in the closing minutes.
"I think it was really good that some of the other freshmen got in, because this gives them the time to experience a real-life game," Williams said of the contribution by her fellow first-year Mocs. "We will all get better from doing this, and hopefully we'll have other chances to get players in and keep getting better."
UTC will enjoy Thanksgiving today before traveling to Charlottesville, Virginia, this evening to begin preparing for games against Saint Louis and Central Michigan this weekend in the Virginia Cavalier Classic.
Burrows said she's thankful to have players who showed Wednesday night that they can win as a team, with lots of of players contributing to their success as a group.
"They're a very tight-knit group, and I'm not sure we've had that in some past years," said Burrows, the team's first-year head coach but a former longtime assistant. "I love my bench energy. They're fully engaged all the time - coaches all the way down to managers.
"It's just a fun group to be a part of. That's what I'm most pleased with."
Contact Jim Tanner at JFTanner@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @JFTanner.