MOCS FACE OFF AGAINST SAMFORD SATURDAY AFTERNOONChattanooga traveled to Birmingham, Ala., for a Southern Conference matchup at Samford Saturday afternoon. Chattanooga fell to Mercer Thursday night after the Bulldogs suffered its first league loss to the Bears as well last week. The game will be carried live on ESPN3 and Larry Ward will have the call on 96.1 FM The Legend.
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GAMEDAY INFORMATIONWhere: Pete Hanna Center - Birmingham, Ala.
When: 3:00 p.m. EST
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MEDIA INFORMATIONVideo: ESPN3
Audio: 96.1 FM The Legend
Live Scoring: Women's Basketball Schedule page at GoMocs.com
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SCOUTING CHATTANOOGA (13-6, 4-1 SoCon)Chattanooga's 52-game Southern Conference win streak was halted Thursday night at Mercer. The Mocs are now 13-6 overall and 4-1 in league play. UTC is ranked second in the nation for fewest personal fouls per game with just 11.5 per game and sixth for blocked shots with a SoCon-best 6.3 per game. Chattanooga is ranked 12th in the NCAA in 3-point field goal defense allowing opponents to make just over 25 percent of their attempts. UTC averages 55.3 points per game, just better than Samford's 54.7 ppg. However, the Bulldogs are first in the league in scoring defense allowing opponents just 50.4 points per game compared to the Mocs' 55.7 - second in the conference standings. UTC leads the league in field goal percentage making 41.1 percent of its attempts.
Jasmine Joyner leads the team with 12.2 points and a SoCon-best 9.1 rebounds per game. She has 74 blocked shots on the year, the most in the NCAA and second for blocked shots per game with 3.9.
Keiana Gilbert is he only other UTC player in double figures with 11.8 points per game. She averages 5.2 rebounds and is shooting a team-best 45 percent.
Moses Johnson is second on the team in rebounding with 6.1 per game and averages 5.3 points.
Queen Alford scored 70 points over the first four games against the league with three career-high 20 points games. She third on the team in scoring with 8.9 ppg while
Alicia Payne has a team-best 73 assists, a 1.8 assist-turnover ratio. She is fourth on the team with 6.7 points per game. She scored a career-high 16 points in the Mocs' win over Western Carolina.
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Head Coach
Jim Foster now has 854 career wins in his 38
th season as a head coach. He has more than 200 wins at each of his previous three schools – only the second coach in NCAA history to achieve that mark – and has 71 wins in his third season with the Mocs.
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SCOUTING SAMFORD (11-8, 3-1 SoCon)Samford is at the bottom of the scoring list in the league but first in scoring defense, outscoring opponents by 4.4 points per game. The Bulldogs are shooting 39 percent from the field and 29.5 percent from beyond the arc, making 6.3 treys per game - second best in the conference. Samford started league play with three straight wins before falling on a buzzer beater against Mercer at home last week.
Destiney Elliott and Taylor Reece lead the team with 9.3 points per game and Elliott has a team-best 8.0 rebounds per game, second in the SoCon behind UTC's Joyner and is ranked 10th in the conference in field goal percentage making 41.8 percent of her shots. Kassidy Blevins has a team-best 31 3-pointers, making 35.6 percent of her shots.
CHATTANOOGA VS. SAMFORDChattanooga and Samford have met 22 times with UTC leading the series 16-6. In Southern Conference action, the Mocs are 10-4 against the Bulldogs. UTC has won the last six meetings including a double-overtime game in Birmingham in 2014. Chattanooga is 6-4 on the road, winning the last three.
Overall Record   UTC leads 16-6
SoCon Record   UTC leads 10-4
Home Record   9-2
Away Record   6-4
Neutral Record   1-0
Overtime Record   2-1
INDIVIDUAL ACCOMPLISHMENTSJoyner Second in the Nation •
Jasmine Joyner has 74 blocked shots this season, averaging 3.9 per game. She leads the nation in total blocks and is second for blocks per game. Against Western Carolina, she had eight rejections in just 27 minutes, tying her school record for a single game and set the Mocs record for a single game in McKenzie.
Joyner Breaks School Record • Joyner holds the school record for blocked shots with 262, passing Alex Anderson (2004-08) with her first block against UConn. She set the school single game record at McKenzie with eight against Western Carolina, matching her single-game high she had against Notre Dame last year. She set the SoCon record for blocked shots in a single season with 132 last year and is three shy of second all-time in the league. The record is 339 set by Davidson's Sophia Aleksandravicius (2009-13). She needs three to reach second on the SoCon all-time list.
Payne Dishing it Out • Senior
Alicia Payne ranks fourth in the league for assists with 3.8 and is third for assist-turnover ratio at 1.8. She has 73 assists this season and is 24 away from reaching the Mocs' all-time Top 10 list.
Queen Stepping Up her Game • Transfer
Queen Alford scored 70 points over the first four SoCon games for the Mocs with three career-high 20-point efforts in Southern Confernce action.
Jasmine Joyner named CSM SoCon Player of the Week • Junior
Jasmine Joyner averaged 17 points and 8.7 rebounds the week of Nov. 23-29 to earn College Sports Madness Player of the Week honors for the SoCon. She scored a career-high 31 points against UTM Saturday, recording her third double-double of the year with 15 rebounds and added seven blocked shots to tie the UTC career record for rejections.
Keiana Gilbert tabbed CSM SoCon Player of the Week • Sophomore
Keiana Gilbert was selected the College Sports Madness Southern Conference Player of the Week for her performance on the court. She dropped in 19 points in UTC's season opener against McNeese State and had six rebounds.
Joyner's Double-Doubles • Junior
Jasmine Joyner recorded her 13th career double-double and fifth of the season in the Mocs win over UNCG.Â
Johnson Hits Career Marks with Double-Doubles • Just three days after reaching her career-high for rebounds, junior
Moses Johnson recorded career-bests against Belmont in scoring (15) and rebounding (12) and a season-best for assists (3). It was also her first career double-double. She followed that with her second straight double-double against ECU scoring a career-high 16 points. In her fourth start this year at UNCW, she reached a new career-best with 14 rebounds.
Career-Records Beyond the Arc • Four Mocs have career-highs from beyond the 3-point line this season. Centers
Jasmine Joyner and
Ansley Chilton have each dropped in three from beyond the arc while
Anna Claire Noblit showed off her skills to spark a come-from-behind win for the Mocs with three against Arkansas State. Joyner had three against Southern Miss while Chilton hit 3-of-4 against the Lady Vols.
Alicia Payne hit for three at Stanford draining her third at the buzzer.
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TEAM ACCOMPLISHMENTSHands Off • Chattanooga is ranked second in the nation for fewest fouls per game with 11.5 per game. Penn leads the nation committing just 11.2 per game.Â
Defending the Line • After jumping 23 spots from 25th to second in 3-point field goal defense for holding Wofford 0-for-18, the Mocs are now 12th, allowing opponents to make just 25.6 percent of their attempts from long range.
Mocs in the RPI • Chattanooga's nonconference schedule this season has been tough and that is reflected in its RPI rating. The Mocs are 54th as of Jan. 20.Â
Reaching a Milestone • Chattanooga reached its 800th program win on December 13 with a 62-53 win at home against Belmont. The Mocs became the 33rd program in the NCAA to reach the 800-win plateau. The Mocs rank 30th all-time for winning percentage winning 63.5 percent of its games through the 2014-15 season.
Winning Program • Over the last five years, the Mocs have posted an overall record of 126-36 (.778), ranking them tied with Hampton for 14th in the NCAA for winning percentage over that time and 19th for wins.
Hot at Home • UTC won its first five home games this year extending its home-court win streak to 17 games before falling to UConn at the end of November. UTC has won 61 of its last 63 games in the Roundhouse (97%). Those wins include two versus Tennessee (#4 - 2014/#20 - 2012) and #7 Stanford (2014) and three undefeated home court seasons.
Mocs Block Party • The Mocs lead the Southern Conference in blocked shots per game and are ranked sixth in the NCAA with 6.3 per game as a team. Penn has an NCAA-best 7.1 per game.
Taking Care of the Rock • The Mocs have suffered many turnovers this season, committing 156 through its first nine games, averaging 17.3 times per game. However, against Belmont, UTC gave the ball away just four times! That matches a game-low against Samford on 2/2/11.
Long-Range Bombers • The Mocs have made at least one 3-pointer in 517 consecutive games dating back to December 1999. Chattanooga reached the 500-game mark against Butler in its second game this year.
THE COMPETITIONHosting the National Champion • Chattanooga has hosted the reigning National Champion twice. In 2008, following the Lady Vols capture of the crown the previous season, UTK came to the Roundhouse and nearly suffered an upset by the Scrappy Mocs. The story was much different this year when UTC hosted UConn who won each of the previous three national titles. Both teams posted season-lows for scoring.
Four Mocs Opponents Ranked Among the Best • Chattanooga has faced three opponents ranked in the AP Top 25 with one more to go. The Mocs are 0-3 so far with losses to No. 1 UConn at home, #4 Tennessee in Knoxville after a furious comeback fell short and #21 South Florida in Tampa. Chattanooga will travel west to take on the Cardinal on December 28. Stanford is ranked 15th.
Southern Conference Win Streak • The Mocs have lost just one game in three years against the Southern Conference. After falling to Elon on the road in overtime in January 2013, the Mocs have won 51 consecutive games against the Southern Conference and has the longest active win streak in the nation. The record is 124 set by Texas, Southwest from 1981-1990. When including postseason games, UTC has won 60 consecutive games against the league, seventh best all-time.
Doubleheaders on the Slate • The Chattanooga men's and women's teams will take part in six doubleheaders. The first will be on the road at Furman on January 9. The next five will be at home with one more in January and the last four in February.
Tournament Champions • UTC defeated East Carolina 72-61 in Game One of the UNCW Seahawk Christmas Classic. The Mocs followed that with a 61-33 win over the host Seahawks in the finale.
SoCon Tournament • The Southern Conference Tournament will be held in Asheville, N.C., March 5-8. All rounds will be played in the U.S. Cellular Center this year.
PRESEASON NEWS
New Rules Highlight Start of Women's Season • This season will see new rules for women's basketball. The most obvious will be the move from two 20-minute halves to four 10-minute quarters. Another will be advancing the ball in the final minute of play. Once a basket or rebound is made, a team may call timeout before advancing the ball and  take possession at the 28-foot mark.Â
Mocs Picked to Win Fourth Straight Crown • The Southern Conference coaches and media picked UTC to the league title. The Mocs, winners of three straight, have won the regular season 19 times since 1984.
Joyner Named Preseason Favorite • Junior
Jasmine Joyner was selected the preseason favorite for Southern Conference Player of the Year by the league coaches. Joyner was named to the SoCon all-conference team last season and named the tournament Most Outstanding Player.
Three Named to SoCon Preseason Team • Senior
Alicia Payne and  juniors
Jasmine Joyner and
Chelsey Shumpert were named to the SoCon preseason all-conference team by the league coaches.
Mocs Ranked 25th in AP Preseason Poll • The Mocs earned their first-ever AP Top 25 preseason ranking this year. Chattanooga climbed as high as 17th last season. After receiving votes for six weeks, the Mocs reached the Top 26 for the final seven weeks.
UTC Second in Mid-Major Top 25 • College Insider ranked the Mocs at second in its preseason Mid-Major Top 25 poll. The Mocs ended last season at second and return five starters. Chattanooga received three first place votes for 720 points behind Florida Gulf Coast who received 22 first place votes for 735 points.
ESPNW Ranks Mocs in Preseason Top 10 • ESPNW reporters and contributer ranked the Mocs fourth in its preseason Mid-Major Top 10. UTC was behind Florida Gulf Coast, George Washington and Princeton.
Foster Gets Another First • Last season Chattanooga head coach
Jim Foster became the first coach in NCAA history to have four different teams ranked in the AP Top 25. The previous season he was the first to guide four different teams to the NCAA Tournament. This season he becomes the first coach in NCAA history to have four different teams ranked in the AP Top 25 Preseason Poll. The Mocs are ranked 25th.
Mocs Make Fourth Appearance in Preseason WNIT • The Mocs opened the season with its fourth appearance in the preseason tournament. Chattanooga defeated McNeese State 68-53 to open the season and fell to Indiana in the second round, 54-43. UTC hosted UAB in the opening game in 2011 coming away with a 65-59 win. UTC went 2-1 in 2011 with wins over UAB and Indiana State and a loss to Baylor. Chattanooga fell 74-53 to the Sycamores in 2005 on Indiana State's home court and dropped a 69-52 decision at Louisiana Tech in 2000.
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ON THE ROSTER
• Gilbert Returns to Lineup • Redshirt sophomore
Aryanna Gilbert suffered a season-ending knee injury last year after the Mocs' eighth game. She redshirted and will have three years remaining.
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Queen Alford to Make Chattanooga Debut • After sitting on the sidelines for an entire season, redshirt junior
Queen Alford will make her UTC debut this season. Alford was the Atlantic Sun Freshman of the Year in 2013 and a two-time all-conference performer for the Dolphins. She led Jacksonville in scoring both seasons and was second in rebounding as well. In her freshman year, she had a team-best .450 3-point field goal percentage making 27-of-60.
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Ashlyn Wert in the Lineup • After taking a redshirt her freshman year,
Ashlyn Wert is ready to step onto the court for her first collegiate game. At just over 6-foot-5, she is Chattanooga tallest player ever signed and will back up the center position.
• Two Freshmen in the Lineup • The Mocs added freshmen
Nakeia Burks of Huntsville High School and
Molly Melton of the Webb School of Knoxville.Â
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Chelsey Shumpert • At the end of the Mocs game at Indiana, Shumpert suffered an injury to her knee and will miss the remainder of the season.
