CHATTANOOGA, TENN.- Appalachian State University women's basketball battled its bitter conference foe Chattanooga down to the wire, and was able to sneak past the Lady Mocs, capturing a thrilling 57-56 win at UTC's McKenzie Arena Monday evening. It was the Mountaineers' first win on Chattanooga's home floor since 1998 and with the victory, ASU earns no less than at least a share of the regular season title, its first since the 1995-96 season and clinches the No. 1 seed in the upcoming SoCon Tournament.
Appalachian (21-4, 15-2 SoCon) was down 54-51 under the four-minute mark, but four made free throws by Anna Freeman earned ASU the 55-54 edge.
Continuing to play tough Chattanooga would grab the lead once more as Taylor Hall drilled a layup to put the Lady Mocs back on top by one.
Coming up big when it counted, Kelsey Sharkey was able to corral the basketball off a missed Sam Ramirez jumper, and the sophomore hit a layup with just 11 seconds left on the clock to give Appalachian State the final lead, and push the Apps to the nailbiting one-point win.
Sharkey finished as the team's leading rebounder with ten boards, eight coming in the first half, while also recording six points.
It was Chattanooga however, that opened up the contest strong, as the Mountaineers found themselves trailing 13-5 in the beginning five and a half minutes of play.
Chakeitha Weldon scored Appalachian's first five points, while Bailey Dewart paced the Lady Mocs early on, recording 10.
The Apps picked up their pace, and despite allowing UTC to drain eight first-half three-pointers, including six in the first ten minutes of action, ASU responded, posting a 6-0 run to take its first lead of the contest off a Sharkey layup, up 23-22.
Play was knotted at the 25 all mark, but buckets to close out the half by Anna Freeman and Ramirez earned ASU the narrow 29-28 lead at the break.
Anna Freeman and Ramirez were ASU's lone scorers in double-figures, as Freeman totaled 14 points and six rebounds, while Ramirez had 11 points, five rebounds and four steals.
The 11-time regular season conference champions would not go away quietly and posted a 9-0 run over a span of five minutes in the second half to go up 40-35.
Kylie Lambert and Whitney Hood sparked UTC, as Lambert had four points during Chattanooga's scoring stretch and Hood posted three.
Lambert ended the game as Chattanooga's leading scorer with 11 points, and ASU held Hood, the SoCon's top scorer to just eight.
As expected a battle ensued, and the remainder of second half play was intense and hotly contested between the two squads.
After the Apps found themselves down by as many as seven points, ASU rallied to grab a 48-46 lead off an Ashlen Dewart three-pointer. Dewart's bucket capped off a 9-0 Mountaineer spark, and the Apps regained the two point advantage with seven minutes remaining.
The two teams traded leads over the course of the final seven minutes of action, and play was knotted three more times before a final bucket with mere seconds remaining gave Appalachian the victory.
ASU now returns to the High Country for its final three games of the regular season, as the Mountaineers first host Wofford, Saturday February 19. The two squads are set to tip at 2 p.m. from the Holmes Center and the contest will serve as ASU's annual “Pink Zone” game.
Notes: The 15 ASU SoCon wins are the most in school history … ASU has now secured the number one seed in the 2011 SoCon Tournament … Appalachian has earned at least a share of the SoCon regular season title, its first since 1995-96 … the 21 overall wins tie for the third-most overall in a season in program history … ASU has now won 11 straight games, its longest season winning streak since the 1993-94 campaign … ASU has now swept Chattanooga, its first season sweep of the Lady Mocs since the 1997-98 season … the win is ASU's first at UTC's McKenzie Arena since January 3, 1998 … the victory snaps a 12-game road losing skid to Chattanooga.
