SoCon-leading Lady Mocs survive at UNC Greensboro, 58-48

GREENSBORO, NC – Gini Grimsley missed a double-double by one rebound and UNC Greensboro used a 10-0 run in the second half to make it a one-point game, but Southern Conference leader Chattanooga answered with a big run of its own to escape with a win on Saturday, 58-48.

Grimsley finished with a team-best 11 points to go with nine rebounds, while Lakiah Hyson pulled down a career-high 10 boards to lead the Spartans (7-15, 4-9 SoCon). The Lady Mocs (16-6, 12-1 SoCon) had three players in double figures, with Erin Ogan notching the game's lone double-double with 14 points and 14 rebounds. Shanara Hollinquest scored a game-high 16 points, while Jenaya Wade-Fray had 12.

Ogan's 3-pointer with 13:43 to play put Chattanooga up 40-29, but that was the last time the Lady Mocs would score for the next 5:35. Ashley Mullins answered with a 3 of her own and Monique Floyd stole the ball and drove in for the layup to get the Spartans back within six.

TaShama Banner hit the back end of a two-shot foul and knifed through the lane for a layup that made it a one-possession game moments later, getting the Spartans within three for the first time since UNCG trailed 8-5 in the first half and forcing the Lady Mocs to take a timeout.

Coming out of the stoppage, Grimsley blocked a Wade-Fray shot and got the rebound, then hit a long-range jumper on the other end to complete the Spartans' 10-0 spurt and pull UNCG within a point at 40-39.

Chattanooga would regroup, getting a Wade-Fray 3-pointer to stop the Spartans' run. Ogan added another 3 on the Lady Mocs' next possesstion, and UTC was back in control. Chattanooga would another eight points in succession to cap off a 14-0 run, with Wade-Fray's pair of free throws with 4:41 left making it a 15-point spread at 54-39.

"It took everything we had to make the 10-0 run," UNCG coach Lynne Agee said. "We just did not bring it today. … But we came back and we made our second-half run to get us back in the game, but then we turned around and blanked out again. We just completely went blank, and they went on a 14-0 run. That just took the wind right out of our sails. I'm disappointed in this performance."

After UTC's run, Grimsley and Wade-Fray traded buckets, and Grimsley hit a 3 to make it a 12-point contest with just 1:27 to play. A pair of Ogan free throws pushed the Lady Mocs' lead back to14, but Banner's stickback on Agne Girstautaite's miss got UNCG back within a dozen, and UTC took another timeout.

Hyson stole the ball on the inbounds, finding Grimsley underneath for an easy layup that got the Spartans back within 10 with more than a minute to play.

After a missed jumper by Wade-Fray, Grimsley was able to get off a pair of 3-point tries on the other end, but neither would go down. The Spartans were forced to foul to stop the clock, and Tagan Hatchett missed the front end of a one-and-one to keep UNCG's faint comeback hopes alive.

Freshman Sarah Folwell came up with the rebound, but UNCG was unable to another shot to drop and fell for the 10th time in the last 11 games.

The Spartans got 20 points from their bench Saturday, while Chattanooga got just three points from its non-starters. Banner had seven points and five rebounds off the bench for UNCG.

Grimsley blocked a pair of shots in the contest, giving her 74 for her career and moving her into third place on UNCG's career list. She also hit a 3-pointer to give her 96 for her career, moving her into a tie for fifth on that list and making her the only player in program history in the top five in both blocks and 3s. In fact, no other player is in even in the top 10 in both lists.

The schedule doesn't get any easier for UNCG, which will face Samford on Monday at 7 p.m. The Bulldogs pulled out a 61-50 win at Elon on Saturday to keep pace with the Lady Mocs atop the SoCon standings at 12-1.

AGATE
CHATTANOOGA 58, UNC GREENSBORO 48

CHATTANOOGA (16-6, 12-1 SoCon)
Shanara Hollinquest 6-13 4-10 16; Erin Ogan 4-8 4-6 14; Jenaya Wade-Fray 4-14 2-3 12; Tagan Hatchett 3-5 1-3 9; Lacondra Mason 2-5 0-0 4; Tenisha Townsend 1-2 0-0 2; Anelia Murray 0-2 1-2 1; Megan Rollins 0-0 0-0 0; Andrea Neil 0-4 0-0 0. Totals 20-53 12-24 58.

UNC GREENSBORO (7-15, 4-9 SoCon)
Gini Grimsley 5-15 0-0 11; TaShama Banner 2-5 3-4 7; Agne Girstautaite 2-5 2-2 6; Lakiah Hyson 3-11 0-3 6; Monique Floyd 2-9 1-2 5; Amanda Leigh 1-9 1-2 4; Ashley Mullins 1-1 0-0 3; Sarah Folwell 1-6 0-1 2; Kendra Smith 1-1 0-0 2; Agneta Morkunaite 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 19-63 7-14 48.

Chattanooga...................   27   31  -   58
UNC Greensboro................   18   30  -   48

3-point goals--Chattanooga 6-20 (Erin Ogan 2-4; Jenaya Wade-Fray 2-6; Tagan Hatchett 2-4; Andrea Neil 0-4; Lacondra Mason 0-1; Shanara Hollinquest 0-1), UNC Greensboro 3-16 (Amanda Leigh 1-4; Ashley Mullins 1-1; Gini Grimsley 1-6; Lakiah Hyson 0-3; Sarah Folwell 0-1; TaShama Banner 0-1). Fouled out--Chattanooga-None, UNC Greensboro-None. Rebounds--Chattanooga 44 (Erin Ogan 14), UNC Greensboro 44 (Lakiah Hyson 10). Assists--Chattanooga 10 (Tagan Hatchett 5; Jenaya Wade-Fray 5), UNC Greensboro 4 (TaShama Banner 2). Total fouls--Chattanooga 14, UNC Greensboro 18. Technical fouls--Chattanooga-None, UNC Greensboro-None. A-230

- UNCG -