Staff Photo by Shane McMillan -- UTC senior forward Erin Ogan is eager to play her hometown team, Tennessee, tonight in McKenzie Arena.

The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga women’s basketball team showed resiliency and character in its season opener Monday night, when it rallied from 14 points down in the second half to beat East Tennessee State.

The Lady Mocs will need those same traits tonight when fifth-ranked Tennessee (1-1) makes its first visit to McKenzie Arena since 2004.

“I liked the fact that they did fight (Monday),” said UTC coach Wes Moore, who is 0-6 all-time against Pat Summit and the Lady Vols. “It’s going to be even tougher when you’re playing the two-time defending national champions, so when things get rocking and rolling the wrong way, are you going to be able to turn that tide? We’ll find out.”

In the first half Monday, the Lady Mocs gave up offensive rebounds, missed some easy shots, committed turnovers and allowed ETSU too many uncontested looks at the basket. They weren’t, in the words of senior forward Erin Ogan, “playing Chattanooga basketball.”

That changed early in the second half, when UTC went on a 15-2 run to get back in the game, eventually winning 77-71. In the final 20 minutes, the Lady Mocs shot 48.5 percent from the floor while holding ETSU to 36.8 percent. UTC committed just five second-half turnovers and outrebounded the Lady Bucs 27-18.

Moore said he’d like for both of tonight’s halves to look like Monday’s second half.

“I think in the second half we outscored (ETSU) 47-30, so you can’t complain much about that, but now you don’t know which team is going to show up,” he said. “Are we going to get the first half (version) or the second half? Against Tennessee, you better hope you get the second half both halves to be competitive.”

The Lady Vols are coming off an 83-82 Monday home loss to No. 15 Virginia, and Summit said her young team has a long way to go defensively. She is expected to start a senior, two sophomores and two freshmen.

“We’re still learning and I think that we’ve gotten a little bit better, particularly in the half court,” Summit said, “but where we struggle now is so many of these young players, when we transition from offense to defense, we’re not pointing, talking and identifying and slowing the ball down.

“It’s all, as I say, about what the ball can see. It’s going to take us, I’m sure, just a lot more commitment and repetition to get where we need to be because we’re not there yet.”

Tonight’s game, which is expected to be played in front of a packed Roundhouse crowd, will be extra special for Ogan, a Knoxville native.

“I always look forward to (the Tennessee) game because it’s my hometown,” she said, “but this is going to be my first time playing them here at home, my home now, so I’m looking forward to it.”

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