STATESBORO, Ga. (WRCB) -- Ashlen Dewart recorded her sixth double-double of the season with 24 points and 13 rebounds to help the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga beat Georgia Southern 67-50 Monday night.
It was the 13th consecutive win for the Lady Mocs (23-3, 16-1 in Southern Conference play), who maintain a 1.5-game lead over second-place Davidson in the SoCon standings.
Dewart scored 20 of her points in the second half, including back-to-back three-point plays that opened an 18-point lead with 5:44 to play. The junior forward finished 9-of-14 from the floor and a perfect 6-of-6 at the free throw line.
Kayla Christopher chipped in nine points for the Lady Mocs despite struggling to a 1-for-6 showing behind the 3-point arc.
Chattanooga scored 25 points off 21 Georgia Southern turnovers and owned a 23-4 edge in second-chance points. UTC also made 10-of-11 free throws in the game, all in the second half.
The Eagles kept it close for most of the first half, pulling even at 24-all on a layup by Anna Claire Knight at the 5:01 mark before the break. Meghan Downes responded with a 3-pointer at the other end, sparking a 10-0 Chattanooga run to close the half that opened a 34-24 UTC advantage at halftime.
Georgia Southern managed to pull within 39-33 on another Knight layup early in the second half, but the Lady Mocs scored the next nine points and kept the lead above double-digits the rest of the way.
Chattanooga returns home to host Western Carolina at McKenzie Arena this Saturday. The game will tip at 5 p.m. ET as part of a doubleheader with the Mocs, and will serve as UTC's "Wear Pink" game to support breast cancer awareness.
