WOMEN'S BASKETBALL OPENS SOCON TOURNAMENT WITH NO. 6 UNCG
 
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. --- The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga closed out the 2018-19 regular season at 13-16 and tied with ETSU for third in the Southern Conference standings at 8-6. The Mocs won the tie break with the higher RPI or ratings percentage index and earned the No. 3 seed for the Ingles Southern Conference Basketball Championships presented by General Shale this week in Asheville, N.C.
 
Chattanooga will take on six-seeded UNCG Thursday night in the final game of the opening round slated to tip at 5:45 p.m. at the U.S Cellular Center. UTC and the Spartans have met six times in the SoCon Tournament including last year's double-overtime loss for the Mocs. Chattanooga holds a 4-2 advantage.
 
Mercer claimed its fourth regular season title and second outright at 14-0 and earned the No. 1 seed and will face No 8 seed Western Carolina in the morning game. Furman finished one game ahead of Chattanooga and the Bucs at 9-5 for the No. 2 seed. The Paladins will take on No. 7 Samford and will face the winner of the UTC/UNCG matchup. Fourth-seeded ETSU and No. 5 Wofford round out the bracket.
 
Chattanooga's 18 SoCon Tournament titles are the most of any team since the league began hosting women's championships in 1984, two years after the NCAA. Appalachian State is the next closest at six titles. Four others have won two championships and three, including Mercer, have claimed the crown once.
 
NOTES
• Chattanooga, preseason pick to finish fifth, tied with ETSU for third and won the tiebreak on the basis of the Mocs' RPI. UTC is 22-6 in the quarterfinal round.
• Eboni Williams was named SoCon Freshman of the Year by the Coaches. First FOY for UTC since 1998-99 (Heather Dykes). Lakelyn Bouldin earned Second Team All-Conference by both the coaches and media. Arianne Whitaker was named to the SoCon Coaches' All-Defensive Team.
• The Mocs finished tied with ETSU for third in the SoCon standings at 8-6. Seeding came down to who had the better RPI as both teams were tied down the line in the tiebreak scenario.
• Arianne Whitaker ranks 33rd in the nation for blocks per game and 36th for total blocks. She has 101 at UTC and 157 combined with her total from Winthrop.
• Lakelyn Bouldin became the 29th member aof the Chattanooga 1,000-Point Club at Wofford on Feb. 16. She has 1,063 career points and is now ranked 25th all-time at UTC.
• Lakelyn Bouldin has 176 career 3-pointers and ranks fifth all-time at Chattanooga.
• Freshman Eboni Williams has a team-best four double-doubles this season. She had a career-high 27 points and 13 rebounds against UNCG at the Roundhouse for her fourth this season.
 
ATTENDING THE CHAMPIONSHIPS
Hotels
- The Chattanooga team hotel is the Hilton Biltmore Park. SoCon fan rates for that property, as well as other are hotels can be found here.

Tickets
- Tickets are no longer available through the Chattanooga Athletics Ticket Office. 
- Purchase all-session or single session tickets through Ticketmaster.
- Ticket Pricing
    + VIP All-Session Package: $250 (contact the box office at 828-259-5736)
    + General Admission Tournament Book: $120
    + General Admission Single Session: $20
    + Youth* / SoCon Student Single Session: $10
          *Youth is considered ages 6-12. All children under the age of 6 do not require a ticket.

US Cellular Center
- US Cellular Center is located at 87 Haywood Street, Asheville, NC 28801
- There is no clear bag policy, however large bags over 12" x 12" are prohibited inside the center
- Answers to other frequently asked questions can be found here on its website

Parking
- There are various parking areas within a 10-minute walk of the US Cellular Center, including garages, surface lots, and metered parking
- There is a limited amount of handicap parking available near the venue
- Visit the US Cellular Center Parking Info page for additional details, a map, and real-time updates on parking availability
 
MOCS IN ASHEVILLE
Thirsty Monk in Downtown Asheville - The Official Gathering Location of the Mocs
- Stop by the Thirsty Monk to spend time with fellow Mocs fans all weekend long.
- Located at 92 Patton Avenue, Asheville, NC 28801
- About a 5 minute walk to US Cellular Arena

Women's Basketball Hotel Send-Off - Thursday at 4:00 p.m. - Hilton Biltmore Park
- Help send-off the Mocs on Thursday before they face the UNCG Spartans at 5:45 p.m. in the  quarterfinal round!
- Meet in the lobby of the Hilton Biltmore Park at 3:50 p.m.

Mocs Pep Rally - Saturday at 12:40 p.m. - SoCon Fan Experience
- Join Chattanooga Athletics for a Pep Rally before men's basketball tips-off in the quarterfinal round.
- The Mocs Pep Rally will take place on a stage within the SoCon Fan Experience festivities, located across from US Cellular Center, at 68 Haywood Street.
- Come out to see the UTC Pep Band, Cheerleaders, and Sugar Mocs as we get ready to cheer on the team against ETSU!
 
WATCH THE MOCS
All of the women's games will be available on ESPN+ and the championship game will also be carried by the Nexstar Media Group of stations. Links for the games can be found on the women's basketball schedule page at GoMocs.com.
 
LISTEN TO THE MOCS
Larry Ward will have the call LIVE on Real 96.1 FM. Online links for the games can be found on the women's basketball schedule page at GoMocs.com.
 
LIVE STATS
Links for live stats for all the games can be found on the women's basketball schedule page at GoMocs.com.
 
 
ALL-CONFERENCE TEAMS
 
Southern Conference Coaches
 
Player of the Year
Amanda Thompson, Sr., F, Mercer
 
Freshman of the Year
Eboni Williams, F, Chattanooga
 
Defensive Player of the Year
Erica Haynes-Overton So., G, ETSU
 
Coach of the Year
Susie Gardner, Mercer
 
Ann Lashley Inspiration Award Winner
Amanda Thompson, Sr., F, Mercer
 
First team
Erica Haynes-Overton So., G, ETSU
KeKe Calloway, Mercer
Amanda Thompson, Mercer
Nadine Soliman, UNCG
Chloe Wanink, Wofford
 
Second team
Le'Jzae Davidson, Furman
Celena Taborn, Furman
Shannon Titus, Mercer
Lakelyn Bouldin, Chattanooga
Te'ja Twitty, UNCG
Da'Ja Green, Wofford
*six due to a tie in the voting
 
All-defensive Team
Erica Haynes-Overton, ETSU
Kaitlyn Duncan, Furman
Shannon Titus, Mercer
Arianne Whitaker, Chattanooga
Cairo Booker, Wofford
 
All-freshman team
Kaia Upton, ETSU
Milica Manojlovic, Furman
Eboni Williams, Chattanooga
Jewel Smalls, Western Carolina
Niyah Lutz, Wofford
 
SoCon Sports Media Association (SCSMA)
 
Player of the Year
KeKe Calloway, Sr., G, Mercer
 
Freshman of the Year
Jewel Smalls, G, Western Carolina
 
Coach of the Year
Susie Gardner, Mercer
 
First team
Le'Jzae Davidson, Furman
KeKe Calloway, Mercer
Amanda Thompson, Mercer
Nadine Soliman, UNCG
Chloe Wanink, Wofford
 
Second team
Erica Haynes-Overton, ETSU
Celena Taborn, Furman
Shannon Titus, Mercer
Lakelyn Bouldin, Chattanooga
Te'ja Twitty, UNCG
 
Third team
Micah Scheetz, ETSU
Natalie Armstrong, Samford
Jewel Smalls, Western Carolina
Cairo Booker, Wofford
Da'Ja Green, Wofford
 
All-freshman team
Kaia Upton, ETSU
Milica Manojlovic, Furman
Eboni Williams, Chattanooga
Jewel Smalls, Western Carolina
Jackie Carman, Wofford