Mocs pull away

from ASU
From staff reports

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — An early 12-point Appalachian State lead evaporated by halftime and the Mountaineers women’s basketball team fell to Chattanooga 71-55 Saturday.

The visiting Mountaineers led by as many as 12 points early on, but 38 second-half points from the Mocs (19-3, 11-0 SoCon) allowed the team to remain unbeaten in SoCon play.

Appalachian (5-16, 2-8) started the game strong with a 17-7 run over the first six minutes of play. GiGi Thomas knocked down a pair of field goals and two free throws early, while Brittany Mixon added four points of her own to help key the quick start.

Thomas, the reigning Southern Conference Player of the Week, scored a team-high nine points in the first half on 3-for-7 shooting. The guard also added five rebounds to lead the team.

But Thomas was held to just one second-half point. Mixon scored six in the first and grabbed along with four rebounds. The Mountaineers shot a stout 48 percent from the field in the opening 20 minutes, including 43 percent from beyond the 3-point arc.

Mixon ended the game as the Mountaineers’ leading scorer with 12 points She also pulled down six rebounds. Thomas and Robin Colbert tied for the team lead with three assists each while Whitney Tossie was kept to a season-low one steal.

Chattanooga clawed its way back into the game in the first half with a pair of 3-pointers to cut the Mountaineers’ lead to 23-20 with four minutes to play before halftime. The Mountaineers led for the first 18 minutes of the contest before six straight points to end the half gave the Mocs a 32-28 halftime lead.

A pair of treys and strong post play from center Alex Anderson allowed the Mocs to extend their lead to 44-34 early in the second half. Anderson poured in eight of Chattanooga’s first 19 points of the second half, while Mixon accounted for six of Appalachian State’s 15 over the same eight-minute span.

The Mocs knocked down just 3-of-11 free throws in the first half, but made each of their first 10 in the second half. Appalachian State shot 6-of-12 from the foul line in the game. Appalachian shot 46.9 percent from the floor in the game, compared to 41.7 for the Mocs.

Chattanooga held a 43-30 advantage in rebounding, which led to a 15-6 advantage in second-chance points. Anderson finished with 16 points.