Women's Basketball 2/26/2016 2:00:00 PM Anne Wehunt

Women's Hoops Central: Mocs vs. ETSU

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL SENIOR DAY

vs. ETSU | SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 27 | 2:00 p.m. ET

LIVE STATS | WATCH LIVE (SDN) | LISTEN LIVE (96.1 FM The Legend)

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CLOSES OUT SEASON IN TIGHT RACE TO TITLE

The Mocs will take on ETSU in the season finale Saturday afternoon. A win will secure the Mocs 20th SoCon regular season title. If the Mocs and Mercer both win on Saturday, the title will be shared and the Bears will be the top seed by virtue of tie-break rules (Mercer beat No. 3 Samford twice; UTC split). A win by one team coupled with a loss by the other will give that team the title outright. Following the game, the Mocs will honor senior Alicia Payne.

GAMEDAY INFORMATION
Where: McKenzie Arena – Chattanooga, Tenn.
When: 2:00 p.m. EST | Saturday, February 27, 2016
Tickets: GoMocs.com | McKenzie Arena: 423-266-6627 (MOCS)

MEDIA INFORMATION
Video: SoCon Digital Network
Audio: 96.1 FM The Legend
Live Scoring: GoMocs.com
Facebook: /GoMocs
Twitter: @GoMocsWBK

PROMOTIONS
Saturday – Feb. 27 – Doubleheader – MILITARY APPRECIATION/LOCAL HEROES DAY - KIDS IN FREE
Women vs. ETSU – 2:00 p.m.
Men vs. Samford – 5:00 p.m.
- All Military/Veterans and local first responders (police, fire, EMT, etc…) get FREE general admission tickets for themselves and their families (limit 8).
    - Any form of Military/Veteran/first responder ID is needed to get the free tickets at any gate at McKenzie Arena.
    - Any Military/Veterans/first responders organizations can request group tickets prior to Saturday by calling Jarren Ramsey at (423) 425-5740.
    - There will be a tent outside of Gate 1 as an additional location for Military/Vets to pick up free tickets to help alleviate lines on game day.
- Kids in FREE with a paid adult general admission ticket.
- 500 FREE Chick-Fil-A chicken biscuits to the first 500 students at the women's game.
- 500 FREE Chick-Fil-A chicken biscuits to the first 500 students at the men's game.
- This is Senior Night for both teams, so don't miss this last chance to see these Mocs play at home this season.
- The men's game is on ESPN3, so come help fill McKenzie for a national audience.

SCOUTING CHATTANOOGA (20-7, 11-2)
Chattanooga is tied with Mercer for the SoCon lead at 11-2. After defeating the Bears at home last week, UTC had a brief half-game lead in the standings. Mercer demolished Wofford to move into a tie. Chattanooga needs a win to secure its 20th regular season crown. Both teams play Saturday at 2 p.m.

The Mocs average 57.1 points per game and outscore opponents by 4.0 ppg. UTC only allowed two of the SoCon's top three teams to combine for 75 points in the last two games. Samford had a season-low 30 points and Mercer scored just 45. From the field, UTC is shooting a SoCon-best 42.3 percent and leads the league with 6.5 blocked shots per game. The Mocs average 4.3 treys per game and are shooting 30.6 percent from beyond the arc. On the boards, Chattanooga averages 35.0 rebounds.

Jasmine Joyner has three straight SoCon Player of the Week nods and Queen Alford earned her first last week making it four straight for the Mocs. Joyner is second in the nation with 4.04 blocked shots per game and leads the SoCon in rebounding with 9.3 per game. She has a team-high 12.7 scoring average and is third in the league in field goal percentage making 46.3 percent of her attempts. Alford ranks third on the team with 10.7 points per game but leads the Mocs against the SoCon with 15.3 ppg. She leads the team in 3-point shooting with 28 on the year and is second in 3-point field goal percentage making 43.1 percent of her attempts. Keiana Gilbert is second on the team in scoring with 12.4 points per game and is shooting 46.5 percent from the field, second in the SoCon.

Head Coach Jim Foster now has 861 career wins in his 38^th season as a head coach. He is tied with Montana's Robin Selvig and one shy of Andy Landers Division I wins mark. Foster 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 78 wins in his third season with the Mocs. He is the fastest women's coach at UTC to 75 wins.

SCOUTING ETSU (16-12, 8-5)
The Bucs are ranked fourth in the league standings, one game ahead of Furman and two behind Samford with just one game to play. They average 60.8 points per game and give up 61.6 to their opponents. ETSU ranks eighth in the SoCon for field goal percentage (.377) and free throw shooting (.626). They are second in the league in rebounding with 39 per game and have the best rebounding margin in the SoCon at 1.8 per game.

Shamauria Bridges ranks third in the league standings for scoring with 15.4 ppg and leads the SoCon in 3-point field goal percentage making 2.6 per game. Chandler Christopher is second on the team in scoring with 8.4 points per game and leads the team with 3.6 assists per game. Shomari Kendrick has a team-best 6.5 rebounds per game.

CHATTANOOGA vs. ETSU
Chattanooga and ETSU's rivalry began back in the first year of varsity basketball at UTC - 1975. The two teams have met 73 times. Both teams are original members of the Southern Conference and the series was briefly interupted after the Bucs left the SoCon following the 2004-05 season. After just one year off, the two picked up the rivaly in the 2007-08 season. ETSU rejoined the league last year and the Mocs won all three contests includinga 61-56 overtime victory in the SoCon Tournament finals. Chattanooga leads the series 52-21 and 33-13 in league play. The Mocs have won the last six and 15 of the last 18. The Bucs handed the Mocs a 55-50 loss in the SoCon quarterfinals in 2005 before bidding the SoCon farewell - however briefly.

Overall Record   UTC leads 53-21
SoCon Record   UTC leads 34-13
Home Record   27-7
Away Record   23-12
Neutral Record   3-2
Overtime Record   1-1

INDIVIDUAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Joyner Leads the Nation • Jasmine Joyner has 109 blocked shots this season, averaging 4.19 per game. She leads the nation in total blocks and blocks per game. Twice this season she has tied her school record with eight against Western Carolina and another eight against Wofford.

School Record Falls; SoCon Record on the Horizon • Jasmine Joyner holds the school record for blocked shots with 297, 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 and against against Wofford, 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 second all-time in the league. The record is 339 set by Davidson's Sophia Aleksandravicius (2009-13).

Foster Fastest to 75 wins • With the Mocs win at UNCG, Jim Foster earned his 75th victory in just his 90th game. It is the fastest he has reached that mark in any of the four schools he has coached. It is also the fastest any UTC coach has reached the mark.

Joyner's Double-Doubles • Junior Jasmine Joyner recorded her 15th career double-double and seventh of the season in the Mocs win at UNCG with 21 points and 13 rebounds.

Payne Dishing it Out • Alicia Payne topped 300 assists for her career after dishing out seven at ETSU. With six more at UNCG, she entered UTC's all-time Top 10. She has 100 this season and ranks third in the SoCon with 4.0 per game. She is second in the SoCon with a 2.0 assist-turnover ratio.

Queen of the Conference • In the Mocs' first four SoCon games this season, transfer Queen Alford scored 70 points with three 20-point games. She has hit double figures nine times in 12 games and is leads the team with 14.4 points per game and has 18 long rangers in league play.

Queen Closing In • After two seasons at Jacksonville University, Queen Alford left the school with 724 career points. In her first year with the Mocs, she has 266 and is 10 points from 1,000.

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 • Queen Alford hit a career-high four 3-pointers at Western Carolina. Five other Mocs have recorded a career-high for 3's with three beyond the arc. Centers Jasmine Joyner (vs. Southern Miss) and Ansley Chilton (at Tennessee) 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. Alicia Payne hit for three at Stanford draining her third at the buzzer and Keiana Gilbert joined the group with three in the Mocs' win over Furman on February 4 at home.

INDIVIDUAL ACCOLADES
Innovative Office Solutions SoCon Player of the Week
• Jasmine Joyner: February 9-15. Averaged 17 points, 11 rebounds and 5 blocked shots per game. She recorded a double-double at UNCG with 21 points and 14 rebounds. She just missed another with 13 points and nine rebounds against the Catamounts. She recorded five blocked shots in each game and averaged two steals per game.

• Jasmine Joyner: February 2-8. Averaged 14.0 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. Had her sixth double-double of the year with a game-high 19 points and 14 rebounds with five blocks in 61-46 win over Furman. Against Wofford, tied her school record with eight rejections helping the Mocs to a single-game record 14 blocked shots. She had nine points, four assists and two steals in the game.

• Jasmine Joyner: Jan. 26-Feb. 1. She had 19 points and seven rebounds in the Mocs win over the Bucs and her six blocks propelled her into sole possession of second place in the league for career blocked shots.

SoCon Player of the Month
Joyner Named SoCon Player of the Month • In January, Joyner averaged 13.6 points and 10.5 rebounds per game in January with 31 blocked shots. She shot 50 percent or better five times in eight games and recorded two double-doubles. She scored in double figures six times and three times topped double figures in rebounding.

College Sports Madness Southern Conference Player of the Week
• Jasmine Joyner: February 7-13. Averaged a double-double for the week with 17 points and 11 rebounds per game and had 10 blocked shots on the week. Shot 9-of-14 (64.3%) at UNCG with a game-high 21 points and 13 rebounds. She had 10 defensive rebounds, five blocked shots and two steals in the win. At Western Carolina she had 13 points, nine rebounds, five blocked shots, two steals and two assists.

• Keiana Gilbert: March 31-February 6. Gilbert averaged nearly 32 minutes in the Mocs wins over Furman and Wofford. She had 14 points against the Paladins with a career-high five assists and had 13 points, seven rebounds and five steals against the Terriers.
• Jasmine Joyner: November 23-29. Joyner averaged 17 points and 8.7 rebounds. 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: November 16-22• Gilbert dropped in 19 points in UTC's season opener against McNeese State and had six rebounds.

TEAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Mocs Block Party • The Mocs lead the nation in blocked shots per game with 6.7 per game. After a school-record 14 rejections against Wofford, the Mocs jumped to the to of the list.

Hands Off • Chattanooga is ranked second in the nation for fewest fouls per game with 11.6. Penn leads the nation committing just 11.2 per game.

Defending the Line • UTC did not allow a 3-pointer from Wofford (0-18) and Samford (0-7) this year and are ranked fifth in the NCAA with opponents making just 24.9 percent of their attempts.

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 62 of its last 64 games in the Roundhouse (97%). Those wins include two against Tennessee (#4 - 2014/#20 - 2012) and #7 Stanford (2014) and three undefeated home court seasons.

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.

Opponents Not Welcome • The Mocs have won 40 consecutive Southern Conference games at home dating back to the 2010-11 season. Chattanooga's last loss was on Feb. 14, 2011.

Long-Range Bombers • The Mocs have made at least one 3-pointer in 523 consecutive games dating back to December 1999. Chattanooga reached the 500-game mark against Butler in its second game this year.

Taking Care of the Rock • The Mocs have had less than 10 turnovers four times this year including nine at ETSU (1/30), seven at Western Carolina (2/13) four against Belmont (12/16), a season-low three against Furman (2/4).

Winning Program • Over the last five years, the Mocs have posted an overall record of 126-36 (.778), ranking 14th in the NCAA for winning percentage over that time and 19th for wins.

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.

Mocs Get Overtime Win • The Mocs had to use another five minutes to get past Southern Mississippi in the consolation bracket of the Presason WNIT. It was the Mocs first OT game of the year, winning 53-48. UTC is 22-21 all-time in overtime.

THE COMPETITION
Hosting 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.

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.

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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

Print Friendly Version