By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – The homestanding Chattanooga Mocs tied the game against Tennessee Tech with 1:37 remaining in the contest on Thursday and neither team was able to break the tie.
That was until Chloe Larry passed the ball off to Reghan Grimes inside, who then laid the ball up and in to put the Golden Eagles on top with just a second remaining on the clock with Tech taking a 48-46 victory at McKenzie Arena.
The Golden Eagles (2-0) return to action on Sunday as they take on North Alabama in the Hooper Eblen Center starting at 6 p.m.
Tech was determined to keep from repeating the tough result from a season ago when the Mocs topped the Golden Eagles 70-45 in Cookeville. This time around, it was a close battle through out with both teams nearly splitting the lead for the entire contest.
Anna Walker led all scorers as she ended the game against her former team with a double-double – the third of her career – as she scored 14 points and pulled down 13 rebounds. Larry and Keeley Carter both had the next highest Tech total with eight points.
Chattanooga (1-1) had two double-digit scorers as Brooke Anya scored 12 points on a 5-for-6 night and Caia Elisaldez had 10 points.
The Golden Eagles dominated on the glass, collecting 42 total rebounds and 16 offensive caroms. Chattanooga, meanwhile, had 24 total rebounds and six on the offensive end.
Turnovers hampered both teams as Tech turned the ball over 29 times, creating 27 Moc points. The Golden Eagles tried to counter with 21 forced turnovers for 13 points. Grimes led Tech with five steals.
The first quarter ended with Chattanooga leading 17-16, then the Mocs scored the first six points in the second to take a 23-16 lead. The Golden Eagles responded as Walker cut the deficit back down to one point with a layup at 1:55, then once more as Larry drained a 3-pointer with eight seconds left in the half to make it a 29-28 Chattanooga lead at halftime.
Tech outscored UTC 12-5 in the third quarter to take a 40-34 lead, but the Mocs held the edge in the final period with a 12-8 margin. Chattanooga trailed the entire fourth quarter until Elisaldez hit a driving layup with 1:37 remaining on the contest to tied the game at 46.
Larry couldn't get a driving layup to fall with 1:15 remaining, then Sigrun Olafsdottir and Karsen Murphy missed a pair of 3-point tries, but Larry's feed to Grimes led to the game-winning bucket with one tick left on the clock.
Tickets for Tennessee Tech basketball are on sale now – call (931) 372-3940, visit the Eblen Center ticket office or order online at TTUsports.com.
Photo | Jim Dillon, file
