UTC Mocs logoThe Lady Mocs won the game, but they may have lost Faith Dupree to a knee injury.
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga defeated East Tennessee State 81-48 in women's basketball Saturday before a crowd of 1,886 in McKenzie Arena.
All were silent after Dupree fell to the floor with eight minutes left in the first half and remained there for several minutes while trainers examined her left knee. Coach Wes Moore said a player fell into the knee while it was planted on the floor.
"The doctor's evaluation wasn't very encouraging tonight," said Moore, noting that an MRI is scheduled for today. "I hope that we get some good news.
"Faith's situation takes a little luster off the win."
Dupree spent the rest of the first half on a training table. She hobbled, on crutches, to the bench for the start of the second half with her knee wrapped in ice.
Dupree, a 6-foot-3 transfer from Tennessee, averaged 6.7 points and 2.4 rebounds per game last season after becoming eligible on Dec. 12. She and Ashlen Dewart are the inside part of Moore's four-out, one-in offensive system.
"If we're without Faith for an extended period, others will have to fill the void," Moore said. "My job is to get the best five players on the court."
Junior guard Meghan Downes was the best Saturday. She set a career high with 24 points on 8-of-11 shooting.
Kayla Christopher scored 14 points, Alex Black scored 13 and Taylor Hall added 12 for UTC (3-0). The Lady Bucs (0-2) were led by 15 points and seven rebounds from Destiny Mitchell.
"I guess we had a slow start to the second half and we needed somebody to step it up," Downes said. "I took that role, I guess."
UTC shot 46.6 percent from the floor, including 11-of-22 from the 3-point line. The Lady Mocs limited ETSU to 29.9 percent from the floor and forced 20 turnovers. But Christopher pointed out that they allowed 18 offensive rebounds.
"In the second half, it was a much closer game," she said. "But we knocked down shots and we played hard. At the end of the day, it worked out for us."
UTC first owned a 20-point lead when Black hit a bucket with just under five minutes to go in the first half. The Lady Mocs led 42-20 at halftime after making half of their 12 3-point attempts and forcing 10 turnovers.
UTC opened a 35-point lead with about six minutes to play and received 40 points from the bench.
"The first half was pretty good. We were knocking down shots and turned them over," Moore said. "I can't complain much. There were still breakdowns."