ATLANTA - Chattanooga knocked down 14 three-pointers and shot 55.7% from the floor in notching a 96-87 victory over Georgia Southern women's basketball in the Georgia State Holiday Classic on Sunday afternoon at the GSU Sports Arena in Atlanta.
The Mocs improve to 3-4 on the season with the win, while Georgia Southern falls to 3-3. It was the first meeting between the two former SoCon rivals since Chattanooga knocked the Eagles out of the 2014 SoCon Semifinals. The win was the ninth straight in the series for Chattanooga.
Chattanooga hit its first eight shots from the floor and shot a blistering 73.3% from the floor in the first quarter, but Georgia Southern used a late 7-0 run in the period to take a one-point 27-26 lead.
The Eagles and the Mocs looked to be tied heading into halftime, but Morgan Hill beat the buzzer with a layup to give Chattanooga a 41-39 lead at the break.
In the second half, the Mocs continued to stay hot shooting-wise, hitting 9-of-17 threes and shooting 58% overall from the field in coming away with the win.
Four Eagles reached double figures on the day, led by sophomore Jaiden Hamilton's 16 points. Senior A'Tyanna Gaulden added 12 point, while sophomore Shondell Vickers had 12 points and freshman Terren Ward added 10 points and a team-high eight rebounds.
Bria Dial's 23 points led Chattanooga on the day.
Eagle of the Game
Hamilton hit 3-of-4 three-pointers and also knocked down 7-of-8 free throws en route to her game-high 16 points. It was the sophomore's third straight double digit scoring effort of the 2020-21 season.
Stat of the Game
Chattanooga's 14-of-27 shooting performance from three-point range was the best for a Georgia Southern opponent since Appalachian State hit 12-of-22 threes for a 54.5% back on February 1, 2020.
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Head Coach Anita Howard on the hot shooting of the Mocs
"I knew it was going to be a challenge on the road. They shot lights out today, and that made it difficult for the different defenses we showed. If we can score 87 points most nights, we'll be good. But giving up 96 points, I just wasn't expecting them to shoot that well."
Next Up
The Eagles wrap up action in the GSU Holiday Classic by taking on SoCon foe Western Carolina at 1 p.m. at the GSU Sports Arena.
