CHATTANOOGA, TENN. - Whitney Hood scored 21 points and claimed 11 rebounds to lead Chattanooga past Furman, 71-53, in Southern Conference women's basketball action Sunday afternoon at McKenzie Arena.

Hood, a senior forward and Clemson transfer, was joined in double-double territory by Taylor Hall, who combined 10 points with a game high 15 rebounds.  Kayla Christopher registered 18 points and five assists for Chattanooga (12-4, 7-0 SoCon), which remained undefeated and in first place in SoCon play.

Furman (9-8, 5-3 SoCon), which lost for the fifth time in its last six games, was paced by Brittany Hodges with 14 points.  Raegan Thompson added 11 points and seven rebounds.  Lashana Booker topped the Paladins on the boards with nine caroms.

After connecting on 9-of-28 field goal attempts in the first half, Chattanooga heated up over the game's final 20 minutes, converting 16-of-35 attempts (45.7 percent) to finish the contest at 39.7 percent.  Furman, meanwhile, found the mark on just 19-of-62 shots (30.6 percent).

The Mocs also clubbed the Paladins in rebounding, posting a 56-35 advantage on the boards, including a 37-23 margin on the defensive glass.

With the score tied 27-27 at intermission, Furman's Brigid Morrissey opened the second half with a 3-pointer to give the Paladins a 30-27 lead, but Chattanooga answered with a 12-3 run to take a 39-33  lead following a free throw by Faith DuPree with 13:14 remaining.

The Mocs continued their surge over the next three minutes with an 11-4 spurt highlighted by a trio of 3-pointers by Hall, Christopher, and Tenisha Townsend, which stretched the advantage to 50-37 at the 10:39 mark.

A Hodges layup a little over a minute later got Furman to within nine points at 52-43, but UTC quickly answered with another Townsend 3-pointer for a 55-43 lead with 8:44 showing on the clock.

Furman, now 1-2 on its second long four-game road stretch, returns to action next Saturday when it takes on UNC Greensboro in a 2:00 p.m. contest.