CHEROKEE, N.C. --- Chattanooga women's basketball is set to close out their 2023 calendar year this week with a pair of tournament games at the 2023 Cherokee Invitational in Cherokee, North Carolina.
The Mocs (11-1, 0-0 SoCon), who are carrying a nine-game win streak into the tournament, will open up the bracket battling Coastal Carolina (5-6, 0-0 Sun Belt) on Wednesday, December 20 at 7 p.m. ET in Harrah's Cherokee Casino. Then, depending on the results of Wednesday's game, UTC will take on either Michigan State (8-2, 0-1 Big Ten) or Richmond (9-2, 0-0 A10) on Thursday at either 7 p.m. ET or 9:30 p.m. ET in the championship or consolation game.
All games for the 2023 Cherokee Invitational will be broadcast at BallerTV, which is available to fans for $19.99. Those who would rather listen to the Voice of the Mocs, Larry Ward, can tune their radio dials to 96.1 FM/100.3 FM/1070 AM or download The Varsity Network app. Live stats are also provided for the tournament, and the easiest way to find the link is through the UTC women's basketball schedule on GoMocs.com.
GAME DAY INFORMATION
Opponent: Coastal Carolina
Date: Wednesday, December 20, 2023
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
Opponent: Michigan State/Richmond
Date Thursday, December 21, 2023
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET (with UTC loss) or 9:30 p.m. ET (with UTC win)
Follow the game live online on BallerTV, WFLI, The Varsity App or the GoMocs App. Links are available online at GoMocs.com.
ABOUT CHATTANOOGA (11-1, 0-0 SoCon)
The Mocs will enter the Cherokee Invitational with the highest win total and win percentage of any of the four teams in attendance, carrying a nine-game win streak into Harrah's Cherokee Casino. UTC's 11-1 start to the year is officially the second-best start to a season in program history, trailing only the 1983-84 season in which the Mocs started 13-1 before going on to finish 26-5 overall. The Mocs are a pure "Three-and-D" team, with Chattanooga currently ranking fifth in the entire NCAA when it comes to three-point percentage (.402) while ranking 20th in scoring defense (53.2) as a team. Jada Guinn serves as the leading scorer for the Mocs, as she averages 18.0 points/game and has scored 10+ points in all 12 games of the 2023-24 season so far.
ABOUT COASTAL CAROLINA (5-6, 0-0 Sun Belt)
The Chanticleers of Coastal Carolina have had an up and down start to their 2023-24 season, as CCU enters the Cherokee Invitational with the worst record of the teams in attendance at 5-6. Coastal is coming off of an 84-72 loss to Jacksonville State from last weekend, but have been able to take home key wins over the likes of South Carolina State, Furman, Charleston Southern, UNCW and UNC Pembroke to hover around the .500 mark. The Chanticleers are led by Deaja Richardson, who averages 18.6 per night in the scoring department.
ABOUT MICHIGAN STATE (8-2, 0-1 Big Ten)
The Spartans serve as the lone Power 5 opponent appearing in the Cherokee Invitational this year, and will likely be the team to beat for the teams in attendance as MSU enters the tournament 8-2 overall with their only two losses coming against a now-ranked Creighton team and Nebraska in their Big Ten opener. Michigan State is an elite scoring team so far this season, with their points/game total of 91.6 ranking sixth in the NCAA. Not only that, but the Spartans are shooting the ball at an unbelievable 50.5 percent as a team, ranking ninth in the nation in that category as well. A total of nine players for MSU are averaging at least 7.0 points/game and four of those players are averaging 10+ points/game.
ABOUT RICHMOND (9-2, 0-0 A10)
Another sneaky team to watch out for at the 2023 Cherokee Invitational, the Richmond Spiders enter tournament week with an impressive 9-2 record with the team's only losses coming against Duke and Villanova. The Spiders are also all too familiar with neutral venue games this season, with Richmond being 3-0 after going undefeated at the Vibrant Thanksgiving Classic in Des Moines, Iowa, earlier this year. Richmond currently holds a +18.8 scoring margin this year, and this is thanks in large part to how well the Spiders can move with ball as the team ranks Top 50 in the NCAA when it comes to assists/game (16.9). Maggie Doogan will be the player to watch for the Spiders, as Doogan is currently averaging team-highs in scoring (18.5) and rebounding (5.3). The sophomore is also shooting the ball at a blazing-hot 55.8 percent (77-for-138) from the floor and 43.4 percent (23-for-53) from three-point range.
THE LAST TIME THEY MET
Wednesday's game against Coastal Carolina will be just the fourth-ever meeting between the Mocs and the Chanticleers, with the last meeting coming November 22, 1999, in McKenzie Arena. This is the very first neutral site game of the series, and the Mocs currently hold a 2-1 all-time series lead on CCU. UTC would then go on to either play Michigan State or Richmond depending on the results of Wednesday's games, both of which the Mocs have never played against in women's basketball.
TOP NOTES
• Both Raven Thompson and grad transfer Jada Guinn earned Preseason All-SoCon nods by the conference prior to the season.
• Guinn has won SoCon Player of the Week honors two times this season.
• Chattanooga is currently riding a nine-game winning streak, the team's longest win streak since 2015-16.
• With an 11-1 start to the year, the Mocs are now having their best start to a season since 1983-84 when the team started 13-1. That start to the 83-84 season is the best start in program history.
• The duo of Guinn and Thompson has scored a combined 373 of the Mocs' 791 points this year, with Guinn averaging 18.0 and Thompson averaging 14.3.
• The Mocs currently rank as the fifth-best three-point shooting team in the nation shooting at 40.2 percent. This is thanks in large part to freshman Hannah Kohn, who currently ranks fifth in the entire NCAA in three-point percentage individually (.521) while making an average of 2.1 threes/game.
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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