Chattanooga trying to keep nation’s best streak alive
CHATTANOOGA (AP) — Chattanooga is riding the nation’s longest current winning streak, and the Lady Mocs don’t want it to end soon.
Tenth-seeded Chattanooga (29-2) extended the streak to 27 games after upsetting No. 7 seed Rutgers 74-69 in the first round of the NCAA tournament Saturday.
The Lady Mocs advanced to play No. 2 seed Vanderbilt (25-7) in the second round Monday on their home court, where they’ve got another winning streak going. They haven’t lost in McKenzie Arena since Feb. 6, 2003, a span of 17 games.
The victory was the first for Chattanooga and the Southern Conference in the NCAA tournament.
“We’re definitely not satisfied with that one win. We want to keep going,” Chattanooga point guard Katie Galloway said after Sunday’s practice.
Even though 24 of the Lady Mocs’ wins were over Southern Conference teams, Vanderbilt coach Melanie Balcomb is impressed.
“I’ve coached in a lot of different conferences and levels. It doesn’t matter. To have a streak like that, they’re a great team,” she said. “You don’t really look at who they play but how they play.”
In November, Chattanooga didn’t look destined to win a fourth straight Southern Conference tournament title, much less 27 games in a row.
The Lady Mocs started the season 2-2. After losing 79-73 to Butler in a tournament over Thanksgiving, Chattanooga coach Wes Moore was looking for a way to rejuvenate the team.
He decided to tinker with the starting lineup that featured three seniors and two juniors.
Moore took out two seniors and a junior and replaced them with three sophomores who had never started a game.
Chattanooga beat Hampton 88-57 in the tournament the next day, and Moore hasn’t changed the lineup since.
“When you get on a roll and keep winning you hate to mess with it,” Moore said. “Our sophomores stepped up and played great, and the seniors have given us a lift coming off the bench. It’s just worked out well.”
So well that sophomore starter Katasha Brown was named the Southern Conference player of the year and tournament MVP. The 5-foot-11 forward led the team with 14.4 points a game.
Sophomore guard Nicole Mattison’s basket at the buzzer in overtime gave Chattanooga a 79-77 win over Mississippi on Dec. 6.
Another sophomore, Tiffani Roberson, scored 15 points against Rutgers.
But it was Galloway, a senior, who provided one of the most exciting moments in Chattanooga’s latest victory.
After losing the ball and chasing it down at halfcourt, Galloway heaved the ball from 30 feet away, and it banked in as the shot clock hit zero. That cut Rutgers’ lead to 43-41, and Chattanooga went ahead for good a few minutes later.
The partisan crowd roared, and the 11,218-seat arena was rocking. School officials are hoping Monday night’s matchup will bring in more than 6,391, the attendance on Saturday.
Vanderbilt will bring its fans, too, since it’s just located about 120 miles northwest in Nashville.
The Commodores also have a winning streak to protect. Vanderbilt has won nine in a row since losing 94-88 to Tennessee at home on Feb. 15.
The Commodores had lost four straight and turned around their season by beating LSU on the road — with an Alf stuffed toy sitting on the bench.
“We’ve had some of our best wins on the road,” Balcomb said. “Sometimes when you’re at home there are a lot of distractions.”
Freshman Carla Thomas had her parents send the doll, a small version of the television show puppet, to her in time for the LSU game. Alf even has a team manager in charge of it.
“Whatever works for (the players) now, I’m fine with. You have to let them have some fun,” Balcomb said.
Rutgers coach C. Vivian Stringer complained about having to play a lower seed on its home court, but the Commodores don’t mind.
“I’d much rather play in front of a crowd that’s cheering than play a game where there is no crowd,” Balcomb said. “I think that’s the hardest place to play.”