MOCS TAKE ON WOFFORD THURSDAY NIGHT IN SOCON OPENERÂ
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga women's basketball team will head to Spartanburg, S.C., to take on Wofford in the Southern Conference opener for both teams.
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GAMEDAY INFORMATIONWhere: Benjamin Johnson Arena - Spartanburg, S.C.
When: 6:00 p.m.
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MEDIA INFORMATIONVideo: Available at the SoCon Digital Network
Audio: 96.1 FM The Legend | GoMocs.com | iHeart Radio app available on smart devices
Live Scoring: Women's Basketball Schedule page at GoMocs.com
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TICKETSAt the Benjamin Johnson Box office. Adults $5 – Children $3.
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SCOUTING CHATTANOOGA (9-5)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â The Mocs are coming off a challenging non-conference schedule that included four Top 25 opponents. UTC posted a 9-5 overall record over the first 14 games and went 2-1 in the Preseason WNIT. The Mocs, with four wins over its last five games, rank second in the league behind Mercer (10-5). UTC is eighth in the league standings for scoring with 53.4 points per game with opponents scoring just 55.8 points per game. The Mocs are shooting 39.5 percent from the field and 29.3 from beyond the arc. On the boards, UTC is pulling down 35.4 rebounds per game and average 10.9 assists.
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Jasmine Joyner leads the team with 11.9 points and 8.4 rebounds per game and has 54 blocked shots on the year, second most in the NCAA.
Keiana Gilbert is the only other UTC player in double figures with 11.2 points per game. She averages 5.6 rebounds and is shooting 43.2 percent.
Moses Johnson is second on the team in rebounding with 6.6 per game and averages 6.3 points.
Queen Alford is third on the team in scoring with 6.5 ppg while
Alicia Payne has a team-best 51 assists, a 1.8 assist-turnover ratio and is fourth on the team with 6.4 points per game.
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Head Coach
Jim Foster now has 850 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 67 in his third season with the Mocs.
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SCOUTING WOFFORD (5-8)After starting the season with five straight losses, the Terriers picked up its first win of the year defeating Jacksonville State at home. Over the last five games, Wofford is 4-1 with wins over Bluefield College, N.C. Central, Radford and Kennesaw State – all at home. Its one loss in the run was to Coastal Carolina on the road. The Terriers average 61.5 points per game, outscored by their opponents by 5.8 points per game. Wofford is shooting 37.4 percent from the field and 29 percent from beyond the arc. On the boards, the Terriers are outrebounded 36.1-43.2 rebounds per game.
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Kentra Washington is the lone Terrier in double figures with 12.3 ppg and has 6.4 rpg. Ashton Fleming leads the team off the boards with 7.1 rebounds per game and is second in scoring averaging 9.3 points. Jordan Frazier leads the conference in steals with 34 on the year and averages 8.8 points per game. Maria Corella, fourth on the team in scoring with 8.5 ppg, leads the team with 19 3-pointers.
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CHATTANOOGA vs. WOFFORDThe Mocs and the Terriers have met 44 times with Chattanooga coming out on top 42 times. At home, UTC is undefeated against Wofford with 20 wins while on the road the Mocs are 19-0. The Terriers two wins came in the Southern Conference Tournament. Wofford defeated UTC in Craig Parrot's last season and in Wes Moore's first. Chattanooga won the first four games in the series and are currently riding a 36-game winning streak against the Terriers.
INDIVIDUAL ACCOMPLISHMENTSJoyner Second in the Nation •
Jasmine Joyner has 54 blocked shots this season, averaging 3.9 per game, and is second in the NCAA after leading the nation for several weeks.
Joyner Breaks School Record • Junior
Jasmine Joyner matched her McKenzie Arena record for blocked shots with seven against UT Martin to reach 221 for her career tying her with Alex Anderson (2003-08) for the Chattanooga record. Against UConn, Joyner's first block of the game gave her the school record. She has climbed to 240 in her third year. Last year she broke the SoCon record for blocked shots in a season with 132 and set the school single game record with eight at Notre Dame. She moved to fourth in the SoCon on the career list. The record is 339 set by Davidson's Sophia Aleksandravicius (2009-13).
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 Records Trio of Double-Doubles • Junior
Jasmine Joyner recorded her 11th career double-double and third of the season with a career-high 31 points and 15 rebounds against UT Martin.
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.
TEAM ACCOMPLISHMENTSMocs in the RPI • Chattanooga's schedule this season has been tough and that is reflected in its RPI rating. The Mocs are 30th as of Jan. 4. UTC's strength of schedule is ranked 21st while opponents UConn, Tennessee and Stanford's SOS rank is 6-1-4 respectively.
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 59 of its last 61 games in the Roundhouse (97%). Those wins include two versus Tennessee (#4 - 2014/#20 - 2012) and #7 Stanford (2014).
Hands Off • Chattanooga is ranked second in the nation for fewest fouls per game with 11.4 per game. Penn leads the nation committing just 10.8 per game. Chattanooga was ranked first last year in the category.
Mocs Block Party • The Mocs lead the Southern Conference in blocked shots per game and are ranked 22nd in the NCAA with 5.6 per game as a team. Oregon State has an NCAA-best 7.4 per game.
Taking Care of the Rock • The Mocs have been known for their 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 512 consecutive games dating back to December 1999. Chattanooga reached the 500-game mark against Butler in its second game this year.
Mocs 2-1 in Preseason WNIT • The Mocs went 2-1 in the Preseason WNIT for the second time. UTC opened the season with a win over McNeese State then fell at Indiana in the second round. In the consolation bracket, Chattanooga got the win over Southern Miss in overtime.
THE COMPETITIONFour 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 48 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 57 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.
