Chattanooga 91, UNC-Greensboro 79

3/5/2006 9:26 PM

By BRUCE SMITH
Associated Press Writer

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) - The Chattanooga Lady Mocs settled for a berth in the Women's National Invitation Tournament last year. Not this time around.

This time they did one better.

Tiffani Roberson scored 20 points and Chattanooga beat North Carolina-Greensboro 91-79 Sunday night in the Southern Conference tournament title game, sending the Lady Mocs to the NCAA tournament with the nation's longest winning streak.

``There was a lot of pressure after what happened a year ago and after going undefeated in the conference,'' Chattanooga coach Wes Moore said. ``It was a good way to finish it off.''

Chattanooga (27-3), which has won 26 straight games, made its first seven 3-pointers and led 49-35 at the half. The Lady Mocs, the tournament's top seed and averaging eight 3-pointers a game, went 12-of-25 from behind the arc.

Chattanooga, which swept the conference season at 16-0, got a scare in Saturday's semifinals, slipping by fifth-seeded Western Carolina 77-73.

The Lady Mocs led by as many as 20 in the first half Sunday, but the Lady Spartans did not go away either. Led by Irene Otamiri's 20 points, Greensboro closed to within three points with just over 4 minutes left. But they couldn't get any closer.

``We knew eventually they would make a run,'' Roberson said. ``It was up to us to contain them and keep our composure because we knew we were going to make a run too.''

The Lady Mocs finished with 30 points in the paint and shot 53 percent from the field.

Greensboro coach Lynne Agee said the Lady Spartans didn't come out with the same intensity as Chattanooga.

``We were in deep trouble. The first seven 3's were probably the ball game,'' she said.

Roberson was named the most outstanding player of the tournament. Alex Anderson added 16 points for the Lady Mocs while Brooke Hand had 15, including four 3-pointers.

Kristen Boone had 17 points for Greensboro and KaLeah Latham added 15.

``We knew we had to stay out on their shooters and we didn't do a very good job of that,'' Boone said.

Chattanooga improved to 10-0 in the Southern Conference tournament championship game. The Lady Mocs defeated North Carolina-Greensboro three times this season.

Greensboro's wins in the quarterfinals and semifinals were the school's first wins in the Southern Conference tournament in four years.

Chattanooga's longest winning streak was 27 games in the 2003-04 season.