UTC Women “Ran Into a Buzz Saw” in Losing 72-53 to Wofford
(gomocs.com)
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — “We ran into a buzz saw tonight,” Mocs head coach Shawn Poppie said.
“Wofford played really well. That’s twice now that they’ve had our number so we’ve got to regroup.”
Chattanooga fell 72-53 to Wofford in Southern Conference women’s basketball action Saturday night at The McKenzie Arena.
UTC’s first quarter lead quickly dissipated at the start of the second with six points for Wofford compared to two for the Mocs in the first three minutes. That put the Terriers up 23-22 and they never trailed again. Wofford would go on to lead Chattanooga 37-28 at the half.
“They did the same thing at their place,” Poppie said. “We tried to change some coverages up. I’m gonna tell you what they do, is they play with freedom. They’re not a scripted offense. And if you’re not engaged and ready, and thinking one play ahead, they make you pay.”
Wofford shot 51 percent making 26-of-51 from the field led by 32 points from Rachael Rose. Their largest lead was 24 points in the fourth quarter with 4:55 to play, but UTC did not give up. The Mocs put up eight straight points to make a dent in the lead, but it wouldn’t be enough.
Freshman Raven Thompson matched her career-high with 23 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field and 7-of-8 from the free throw line. Abbey Cornelius had a team-best eight boards on her Senior Night along with another pair of blocked shots.
Yazz Wazeerud-Din, also celebrating her final home game of her one year with the Mocs, put up 12 points with a pair of 3-pointers.
Chattanooga moves to 16-11 overall and 8-4 in the Southern Conference standings, tied with Wofford (18-8, 8-4 SoCon) and ETSU (21-7, 8-4 SoCon). Sitting just one game back is Samford at 13-14 and 7-5 against the league, tied with Mercer (11-14, 7-5 SoCon).
The Mocs honored four seniors prior to the game. Abbey Cornelius is nearing the end of a five-year career while teammate Audrey Canter is finishing four seasons with the Mocs. Brooke Hampel and Yazz Wazeerud-Din are two of the Mocs transfers who bid farewell to the fans tonight.
Chattanooga will hit the road next week for its final two games of the regular season. UTC will face off against a Western Carolina team that handed the Mocs a loss at the end of January and then close out the season at UNC Greensboro Saturday afternoon.
TOP TAKEAWAYS
• Chattanooga honored it’s senior before the game. Abbey Cornelius, Yazz Wazeerud-Din, Brooke Hampel, Audrey Canter.• Chattanooga and Wofford are tied with ETSU for the conference lead with two games remaining. • 73 points is the most given up by the Mocs this season … only the second team to score 70 or more points on UTC this season. • Nine 3-pointers is the second most by Chattanooga this year … UTC held Wofford to seven from beyond the arc, below its 8.2 per game average.
