WOMEN RETURN HOME TO HOST FURMAN THURSDAY IN GAME ONE OF DOUBLEHEADER

The Chattanooga women's basketball team will host Furman Thursday in Game One of a doubleheader at the Roundhouse with the men's team. The game is set to tip at 5:30 p.m. with the men's game to follow.

 

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GAMEDAY INFORMATION
Where: McKenzie Arena - Chattanooga, Tenn.
When: 5:30 p.m. EST
 
MEDIA INFORMATION
Video: SoCon Digital Network (SDN)
Audio: 96.1 FM The Legend
Live Scoring: Women's Basketball Schedule page at GoMocs.com

TICKETS
 Single Game and Mini-Plans available HERE
 

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SCOUTING CHATTANOOGA (14-7, 5-2 SoCon)
The Mocs moved into sole possession of third place in the league standings with a win at ETSU, snapping a two-game losing skid. Chattanooga leads the league in field goal percentage (.412) and blocked shots (6.3) while sitting second in scoring defense (55.4), free throw percentage (.718), rebounding defense (34.7) and 3-point field goal percentage defense (.252). The Mocs rank third nationally in fewest fouls per game (11.8), seventh for blocked shots and third in 3-point field goal percentage defense. 

Jasmine Joyner was named the SoCon Player of the Week after her performance at ETSU that led the Mocs to the win. She is averaging 12.3 points and 9.1 rebounds per game and is ranked second in the nation with 3.95 blocked shots per game.

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.
 
CHATTANOOGA VS. FURMAN
The Mocs and Paladins have met 71 times since Furman joined the league in 1985 and the Mocs won their 50th game against the Paladins. Chattanooga holds a 50-21 advantage against Furman and have won 30 of the last 31 meetings while riding a nine-game win streak. In Greenville, Chattanooga is 22-11 against Furman and 22-9 at home with a 13-game win streak in tow.

Overall Record    Chattanooga leads 50-21
Home Record    22-9
Away Record    22-11
Neutral Record    6-1
Overtime Record    0-1

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INDIVIDUAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Joyner Second in the Nation • Jasmine Joyner has 83 blocked shots this season, averaging 3.95 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.

School Record Falls; SoCon Record on the Horizon • Jasmine Joyner holds the school record for blocked shots with 271, 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 second all-time in the league. The record is 339 set by Davidson's Sophia Aleksandravicius (2009-13).

Joyner's Double-Doubles • Junior Jasmine Joyner recorded her 13th career double-double and fifth of the season in the Mocs win over UNCG. 

Payne Dishing it Out • Senior Alicia Payne topped 300 assists for her career after dishing out seven at ETSU and needs just 17 to reach UTC's all-time Top 10 list. She has 80 this season and ranks fourth in the SoCon with 3.8 per game. She is second in the SoCon with a 1.8  assist-turnover ratio.

Queen Stepping Up her Game • In the Mocs' first four SoCon games this season, transfer Queen Alford scored 70 points with three 20-point games.

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 ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Hands Off • Chattanooga is ranked third in the nation for fewest fouls per game with 11.8 per game. Penn leads the nation committing just 10.9 per game. 

Defending the Line • Chattanooga did not allow a 3-pointer from Wofford (0-18) and Samford (0-7) this year and are ranked 10th in the NCAA with opponents making just 25 percent of their attempts.

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.

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.

Opponents Not Welcome • The Mocs have won 38 consecutive Southern Conference games at home dating back to the 2010-11 season. Chattanooga's last loss was on Feb. 11, 2014.
Mocs Block Party • The Mocs lead the Southern Conference in blocked shots per game and are ranked eighth in the NCAA with 6.3 per game. Morehead State has an NCAA-best 7.0 per game.

Long-Range Bombers • The Mocs have made at least one 3-pointer in 518 consecutive games dating back to December 1999. Chattanooga reached the 500-game mark against Butler in its second game this year.

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.

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.

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.

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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.

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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.
 

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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.

• 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.