Chattanooga Uses Big First Half To Oust Bears From SoCon Tourney
3/6/2025 2:08:00 PM | Women's Basketball
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Second-seeded Chattanooga connected on nearly 47 percent of its field goal attempts in the opening half to set the tone, and held off a determined Mercer squad in the second half on the way to a 68-47 victory over the seventh-seeded Bears in the quarterfinals round of the Southern Conference Tournament.
The setback capped the 2024-25 season for the Orange & Black (8-22) who scored 28 of its 47 points in the paint amid its quarterfinal appearance on Thursday in Harrah's Cherokee Center. It was the third win in the last four outings for Chattanooga (15-13) who advances to Friday's semifinal round in western North Carolina.
The setback capped the 2024-25 season for the Orange & Black (8-22) who scored 28 of its 47 points in the paint amid its quarterfinal appearance on Thursday in Harrah's Cherokee Center. It was the third win in the last four outings for Chattanooga (15-13) who advances to Friday's semifinal round in western North Carolina.
| THE BASICS |
| SCORE: Chattanooga 68, Mercer 47 RECORDS: Mercer 8-22 (3-11 SoCon); Chattanooga 15-13 (9-5 SoCon) LOCATION: Asheville, N.C. (Harrah's Cherokee Center) |
| HOW IT HAPPENED |
| 1ST QUARTER |
| Chattanooga shot nearly 53 percent from the field in the opening stanza, but did not pull away until the last four minutes. Kayla Smith's 3-pointer at the 4:03 mark made it a one-possession game, 7-5, but the Mocs tacked up 11 of the game's next 15 points to pad their lead. A turnover and an ensuing buzzer-beating layup from Brooke Anya gave UTC a 23-11 through 10 minutes of play. |
| 2ND QUARTER |
| The Mocs limited Mercer to just one bucket in the second quarter and outscored the Bears 13-1 over the last 7:45 of the opening half to tote a 38-15 lead into the intermission. Stephanie Utomi rebounded her own miss on a free throw and finished with a driving layup to pull the Bears to within 11 points, 25-14, at the 8:09 mark, but the momentum hopped over to the other side after that as the Bears went 0-for-9 from the field down the stretch. |
| 3RD QUARTER |
| Mercer turned the table coming out of the halftime gates and nearly doubled up the Mocs in the third quarter to make a big dent in their deficit. The Mocs still led by 21 points, 43-22, after Brooke Anya's free throw with 6:07 to play, but the Bears threw six-straight points up on the scoreboard to chip away. Nahawa Diarra's layup with 33 seconds left made it a 46-32 contest heading to the fourth. |
| 4TH QUARTER |
| Chattanooga found its shooting touch in the fourth quarter and finished off the afternoon. Mercer pulled as close as 13 points, 47-34, on Ariana Bennett's layup just more than a minute in, but the Mocs pushed their advantage back over the 20-point plateau, 60-39, with a Gianna Corbitt layup five minutes later, and led by as many as 24 points following a jumper from Ava Card with less than a minute remaining. |
| INSIDE THE BOX SCORE |
| + Freshman Talia Harris notched a team-best 13 points on 6-for-12 shooting on Thursday, while also turning in four rebounds and a steal. + Senior Ashlee Locke closed out her collegiate career with 11 points, five rebounds and three blocks, all of which came in the opening half. Locke also added a pair of assists. + Junior Ariana Bennett pulled down a team-best eight boards for the Bears, while finishing her afternoon with six points and an assist as well. |
| NOTABLES |
| + Mercer fell to 19-7 all-time in Southern Conference Tournament play with Thursday's loss to Chattanooga. The Bears are also now 9-2 in SoCon Tournament openers. + The Bears turned in three blocks on Thursday – all off of the right hand of Ashlee Locke – and have now tallied three or more blocks in eight of their last nine games. + Chattanooga improved to 26-11 all-time against MU, including a 4-1 mark against the Bears in the SoCon Tournament. |
| UP NEXT |
| Season complete. |
| STAY CONNECTED |
| Follow Mercer Women's Basketball on Twitter and Instagram and "Like" Mercer Women's Basketball on Facebook. |
| BACK THE BEARS |
| Fans can help support the Mercer athletics department by making a gift to the Mercer Athletic Foundation. To find out more information about the Mercer Athletic Foundation, email maf@mercer.edu. |
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