MEMPHIS (UTC/WRCB) -- The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga women's basketball team got a chance to rewrite the ending to its season when it received a Women's NIT bid earlier this week.
And while the Lady Mocs' effort was vastly superior than their previous game, the result proved to be the same.
Jasmine Lee's put-back with 6.2 seconds left lifted host Memphis to a 60-59 win over Chattanooga in the first round of the WNIT at Elma Roane Fieldhouse on Thursday night.
The Lady Mocs, who had taken a 59-58 lead on Whitney Hood's offensive rebound and putback just moments earlier, turned it over as time expired to close their season with a 22-10 overall mark.
"This was pretty much a microcosm of our entire year. Close, but no cigar," head coach Wes Moore said in his post-game radio interview. "The kids gave an great effort and I'm proud of them for that, but we've got to find a way to get over the hump."
UTC looked to be running away with its fourth opening-round NIT win after an early 15-0 run opened a 25-9 lead midway through the first half. The Tigers, who improved to 17-1 at home this season, slowly chipped away the lead away to single digits at the half.
Memphis opened the second half on a 10-2 run and tied the game at 39 on a Bilgis Abdul-Qadir layup. The Lady Mocs regrouped to open a five-point lead twice in the final frame, but were never able to pull away.
Hood led UTC with 13 points and 10 rebounds in the final game of her career. Sophomore Faith Dupree scored 10 points off the bench to help Chattanooga's reserves outscore Memphis' bench 24-2 for the game.
Lee led the Tigers with a 20-point, 16-rebound double-double.
