CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. --- The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga women's basketball team will take on Southern Conference defending champion Mercer Thursday evening in its first road test of the conference season.
 
GAMEDAY INFORMATION
Site: Macon, Ga. | Hawkins Arena
Day/Time: Thursday, January 24 | 5:00 p.m.
History: Chattanooga leads series 16-4
Last meeting: 2/22/18 – Mercer 65, Chattanooga 56 – Macon, Ga.
TV: ESPN+
Radio: 98.1 FM "The Lake"
                Larry Ward, play-by-play
Live Stats: GoMocs.com (StatBroadcast)
 
MOCS vs. MERCER
        While the series between the Mocs and Bears dates back to the early days of the women's competition in the NCAA, the two did not meet at SoCon rivals until Mercer joined the league in 2015. Chattanooga leads the series 16-4 with Mercer winning the last both meetings last year. UTC was 9-1 in non-conference play between the two programs and is 5-3 in the regular season and 2-0 in the SoCon Tournament. In 1989, the two teams battled to a 105-104 UTC victory in Macon for the Mocs' narrowest win. The year prior, Chattanooga recorded a 101-51 blowout. All four of the Bears' wins over UTC has been by double-digits with last season's 65-55 win its closest.
        Last year, Mercer's win at the Roundhouse snapped UTC's Southern Conference home court win streak at 50 games dating back to its loss to Appalachian State on Feb. 14, 2011.
        In the matchup at Hawkins Arena, UTC was again without senior guard Keiana Gilbert, the Mocs' leading scorer. Freshmen Brooke Burns and Mya Long stepped into greater roles and combined for 36 of UTC's 55 points in the loss.
 
CHATTANOOGA (8-10, 3-0 SoCon)
Probable starters: Bria Dial (3.7p, 2.7r); Morgan Hill (4.8p, 1.3r); Brooke Burns (7.7p, 3.1r, 2.0a); Rochelle Lee (4.6p, 2.5r); Lakelyn Bouldin (12.9p, 4.1r, 2.1a)
 
Offense: The Mocs are averaging 79.3 points per game in Southern Conference action and 62.1 for the year. From the field, Chattanooga is shooting 39.4 percent and 32.7 percent from the 3-point line. UTC is averaging 11.7 assists per game and is shooting 69.1 percent from the free throw line.
 
Lakelyn Bouldin posted her 12^th double-figure scoring game of the year with 11 points against Furman and leads the team with 12.9 points and 2.1 assists per game. She has a team-best 29 3-pointers and leads the Southern Conference at the free throw line making 87 percent of her attempts. Eboni Williams has become a force for the Mocs. She is second on the team in scoring with 8.4 points per game, shooting 42.7 percent from the field. Brooke Burns is averaging 2.0 assists per game and is third on the team in scoring with 7.7 points per game and has 15 from beyond the arc.
 
Defense:  Chattanooga is averaging 35.3 rebounds per game and has 95 in the last two games along. The Mocs are averaging 5.4 steals and a SoCon-best 3.7 blocked shots per game.
 
Eboni Williams leads the Mocs on the boards with 5.4 per game and has three double-doubles on the year. Lakelyn Bouldin is second on the boards with 4.1 per game and has 13 steals. Molly Melton leads UTC with 24 steals on the year and Arianne Whitaker is up to 22 blocked shots. Abbey Cornelius had a career-best four against the Paladins and now has 11 while Bria Dial has added 10 blocked shots as well.
 
MERCER (11-7, 3-0 SoCon)
Probable starters: KeKe Calloway (19.2p, 4.9r, 3.7a); Amanda Thompson (13.6p, 9.6r, 2.6a); Linnea Rosendal (8.9p, 1.5r, 2.5a); Shannon Titus (9.3p, 4.4r, 2.4a); Rachel Selph (7.7p, 4.9r)
 
Mercer is 3-0 against the SoCon with wins over Samford, Western Carolina and UNCG. The Bears aveage 66.1 points and 34.6 rebounds per game. They are shooting 41.5 percent from the field, 31.3 percent from beyond the arc and 67.9 percent from the free throw line.
 
KeKe Calloway leads the team with 19.2 points and 3.7 assists per game. She averages 4.9 rebounds and 1.9 steals. She has a team-best 43 3-pointers. Amanda Thompson is second on the team in scoring with 13.6 points per game and leads the SoCon in rebounding with 9.6 per game.