No. 1 seed Chattanooga 77, No. 5 seed Elon 44

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Top-seeded Chattanooga cruised to a 77-44 win over No. 5 seed Elon in Sunday’s first semifinal game of the Southern Conference Women’s Basketball Championship at U.S. Cellular Center. The win was the 24th consecutive victory for the Mocs, who will now play for their 15th tourney title.

SoCon Player of the Year Taylor Hall led Chattanooga (28-3) with 18 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and two steals. Ashlen Dewart added 14 points and seven boards. Elon (15-16) was paced by Kelsey Harris with 10 points, six rebounds and four steals.

The Mocs led throughout, scoring the games’ first eight points. Jenifer Rhodes got the Phoenix within seven, 19-12, at 8:51 of the first half. Chattanooga answered with a 13-2 run capped by two Dewart free throws to take firm control of the game.

It was a 15-point affair, 38-23, early in second half following Lauren Brown’s tip-in at 17:39. The Mocs put the game away with stifling defense. That bucket by the Phoenix was the only one in its first 21 second-half attempts.

Chattanooga went on a 24-5 run over that 13-plus minute stretch to extend the lead to 34 points. Dewart’s three-point play at 6:57 made it a 60-26 advantage, putting the game out of reach.

The Mocs await the winner of Davidson-Western Carolina for the SoCon title and automatic bid to the NCAA Championship. The title tilt is at 5 p.m. Monday in ExploreAsheville.com Arena inside the U.S. Cellular Center. It airs on CSS and ESPN3.

No. 3 seed Davidson 74, No. 7 Western Carolina 67

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – No. 3 seed Davidson overcame No. 7 seed Western Carolina in a hard-fought 74-67 semifinal victory on Sunday at the Southern Conference Women’s Basketball Championship at the U.S. Cellular Center. The Wildcats led by as many as 14 in the second half before the Catamounts caught fire.

Western Carolina (15-17) went on a 17-2 run, taking the lead on two Rena Wakama free throws at 10:09. The lead got to four, 54-50, on a Shauna Terry jumper as the Catamounts allowed just one field goal over an 8:35 period of the game to get the lead.

It was a two-game with Western leading 61-59 when the Wildcats (16-15) regained control. Laura Murray’s two free throws at 1:14 capped a 10-0 run to send Davidson out to an eight-point lead.

WCU battled and got it back to four, 70-66. Murray missed two free throws, but Hannah Early’s rebound of the second miss with 39 seconds to go effectively sealed the win.

Murray led all scorers with 25 points while adding five steals. Dakota Dukes chipped in 18 points and a team-high eight rebounds for the winners. Terry (19) and Justin Taylor (18) combined for 37 points for the Catamounts, with Terry grabbing a season-high 12 boards.

The championship matchup is set. Davidson will meet the No. 1-seeded Chattanooga Mocs for the SoCon title and automatic bid to the NCAA Championship at 5 p.m. Monday in ExploreAsheville.com Arena inside the U.S. Cellular Center. It will be a rematch of the 2013 final, a 64-63 win for the Mocs. The contest airs on CSS and ESPN3.com.

-www.SoConSports.com-