CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. --- Chattanooga women's basketball continued its undefeated start to the 2023-24 season with the team notching its first road win of the year on Friday, as the Mocs took down Austin Peay 57-52 at F&M Arena in Clarksville.
The Mocs (2-0, 0-0 SoCon) saw some struggles in their first road game of the year at Austin Peay (0-2, 0-0 ASUN), but a resilient UTC squad was galvanized by strong offensive performances by both Raven Thompson and Jada Guinn that helped propel Chattanooga to a 57-52 victory over the Governors.
"That's a gutsy win. You know, that wasn't the same game that happened last year," head coach Shawn Poppie. "Austin Peay does a good job of making the game ugly. And that's not disrespectful. That's just kind of how they play. And for us to find a way to win on the road, and while we played pretty ugly ourselves, we're still learning ourselves. I think what we did learn we are tough. You know, I think we've got to continue to work."
After a slow start to the night in which the first basket wasn't scored until the 7:03 mark of the first quarter by Jada Guinn, the Mocs took control much of the opening quarter with UTC jumping out to a 13-8 lead in the first period.
Moving into the second, Chattanooga saw a 9-0 scoring run help the Mocs build a 22-10 lead on the Govs with just over five minutes remaining in the quarter. However, APSU climbed their way back into the game with a late run of their own, and as the halftime buzzer sounded the Mocs would head to the locker room with their lead shaved down to just 24-21.
The third quarter followed the same arc as the second for UTC, as the Mocs once again built up a solid eight-point advantage on the Govs primarily on the back of Jada Guinn. But once again Austin Peay had a response of their own, closing out period three with a 6-0 run that saw the scoreboard reading 38-36 in favor of the Mocs heading into the fourth.
In the clutch, it was the grad transfer Guinn that put the Mocs on her back offensively as the Oak Ridge, Tennessee, native went on to score 10 of her 18 total points on the night in the fourth quarter. While the Governors made things interesting by cutting UTC's lead to as close as two points, Chattanooga was able to connect on some crucial free throws to help seal the Moc victory.
When all was said and done in Clarksville, it was the Mocs that came out victorious by a final score of 57-52.
Raven Thompson would lead UTC in scoring with 20 points while Guinn followed closely behind with her 18. Thompson also finished the game as the Mocs' leading rebounder with seven.
On defense, Sigrun Olafsdottir led the charge for UTC by logging three steals for the second consecutive game this year, surpassing 100 career steals in the process. Karsen Murphy's two blocks would finish as a team-high for the Mocs.
FROM THE HEAD COACH | QUOTES
On finding a way to win.
"That's a gutsy win. You know, that wasn't the same game that happened last year. Austin Peay does a good job of making the game ugly. And that's not disrespectful. That's just kind of how they play. And for us to find a way to win on the road, and while we played pretty ugly ourselves, we're still learning ourselves. I think what we did learn we are tough. You know, I think we've got to continue to work."
On needing more depth.
"We've got to develop our bench you know, I told them this morning at shootaround I'm one of them, guys, you have to look in my eyes and give me a confidence back so that I have confidence in you to go back out there. We have some players over there. They're going to help us, but it goes back to the same deal like a year ago. Here in one or two possession game, we ain't got time to try a bunch of people. You know, I thought we got up earlier as a 22-10, we kind of relaxed we were trying to stop there. Went on a little run. I thought we had a chance to really push that thing ahead. We gotta get some depth. Addie Grace cannot play 40, Jada Guinn can't play as many as she did. And we turn around and play again on Sunday against a team that wants to play up and down. And so we gotta find some depth. But I'm proud of this group they found a way to win. While it was ugly, that's okay."
On not giving up in a close game at the end.
"Like I said we have a group it's all in. There's no doubt about that. We cheer for each other. I heard all night as I'm screaming at them, I hear people behind them: 'It's okay. We're good. We're good. We're good.' And that's the team we got over there. We just have to develop, and we will. They're talented. Hannah Kohn is gonna find a way you know. As you see out here, we're in the second game. We've got people face guarding her."
TOP TAKEAWAYS | NOTES
- UTC now leads the all-time series against Austin Peay 34-9.
- The Mocs' record when playing in Clarksville is now 16-5, having won the last six road games against the Governors dating back to November 27, 1996.
- The Mocs have now shot above 40 percent from three in back-to-back games. Last time the team did that was in February last season, when they strung together three straight games of 40+ percent three-point shooting against ETSU, Mercer and Samford.
- Sigrun Olafsdottir logged her 100th career steal on the night, as she now currently sits at 101 (six this season).
- Olafsdottir is averaging 3.0 steals/game this year ... averaged 1.2 steals/game a season ago.
- Addie Grace Porter played all 40 minutes of the game. She has played 40+ minutes a total of 19 times in her UTC career.
- Jada Guinn earned a new UTC career-high of 18 points. Marks her 45th career double-digit scoring performance. Second as a Moc.
- Raven Thompson led both teams in scoring with 20 points on the night. Marks her ninth career 20+ point scoring performance. 27th career double-digit scoring performance.
- Thompson also led the Mocs with seven total rebounds.
UP NEXT: MARSHALL
Chattanooga will now have a quick turnaround to their next game as the Mocs are set to play host to Marshall (0-1, 0-0 Sun Belt) this Sunday, November 12 for Military Appreciation Day at the Roundhouse. The Mocs and the Thundering Herd will tip at 2 p.m. ET at McKenzie Arena, and the game will be available on ESPN+ as well as over the radio on 96.1 FM/100.3 FM/1070 AM.
50 SEASONS OF CHATTANOOGA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
The 2023 season for the Chattanooga women's basketball team marks a major landmark for the program and the university, as UTC women's basketball officially celebrates its 50th season of competition as a university sponsored athletic program. Following the adoption of the Title IX legislation back in 1972, UTC added women's basketball, tennis and volleyball programs to its roster of athletic teams, bringing on five decades of history and success for each of the teams. Chattanooga WBB will be putting on multiple promotions and content pieces throughout the 2023-24 season to celebrate the program's history, culminating in the team hosting its 50th Season Celebration and Reunion during the Mocs' February 3 matchup against Furman at McKenzie Arena.
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