CHATTANOOGA --- The Chattanooga women's basketball team is set for yet another non-conference battle in the Roundhouse this Saturday, as the Mocs welcome North Alabama to McKenzie Arena on November 9.
The Mocs (8-1, 0-0 SoCon) are coming off their biggest win of the season just under a week ago, when UTC took down Top 25 opponent Mississippi State to extend the team's win streak to six consecutive victories. Chattanooga will now battle a UNA (3-5, 0-0 ASUN) team that'll be looking to play spoiler to the Mocs' win streak.
Saturday's game will tipoff at 2 p.m. ET at McKenzie Arena, and fans will be able to stream it via ESPN+ or listen on the radio on 96.1 FM/100.3 FM/1070 AM or The Varsity Network. Live stats are also available through GoMocs.com.
GAME DAY INFORMATION
Date: Saturday, December 9, 2023
Time: 2:00 p.m. ET
Follow the game live online on ESPN+, WFLI, The Varsity App or the GoMocs App. Links are available online at GoMocs.com.
ABOUT CHATTANOOGA (8-1, 0-0 SoCon)
The Mocs are riding a blazing-hot run over the past month of non-conference action, with UTC stringing together six consecutive wins including knocking off Top 25 foe Mississippi State last Sunday in the Roundhouse. Chattanooga has been an elite shooting team to open the year, including ranking as the fifth-best three-point shooting team in the country by shooting 41.9 percent from behind the arc. Additionally, the Mocs have been a thorn in many teams' sides defensively, clamping up multiple teams to rank as the 15th-best scoring defense in the NCAA (51.9).
The Mocs are led by Jada Guinn, who has been a dynamic scoring presence for UTC's offense to rely on with Guinn averaging 16.9 points/game and the grad student scoring 10+ points in every single game this season for the Mocs. Guinn is accompanied by Raven Thompson, the reigning SoCon Freshman of the Year who has not suffered from any form of a sophomore slump. Thompson is averaging 14.7 points/game for the Mocs this season, along with a team-high 7.1 rebounds/game. Freshman Hannah Kohn is also a very deadly scoring option for UTC to turn to off the bench, with the young sharpshooter currently ranking second in the entire NCAA in three-point percentage (.579) while making an average of 2.44 threes/game.
ABOUT NORTH ALABAMA (3-5, 0-0 ASUN)
The Lions of North Alabama have gotten off to a relatively inconsistent start to the 2023-24 season, opening the year 3-5 with the team's wins coming against Tennessee Southern, UT Martin and Fisk. When looking at UNA's stats on the season, it's safe to say that the Lions rely heavily upon chaos game-by-game. UNA currently averages the third-most turnovers/game in the ASUN, averaging 19.1, but on the opposite end of the spectrum the Lions also rank second in turnovers forced/game this year by forcing an average of 19.8 out of their opponents this year.
Alexis Callins will be the most dangerous scoring option for the Lions to rely on, with Callins averaging 16.4 points/game this season. The Mocs will also need to shutdown the dynamic play of Alyssa Clutter, who currently leads North Alabama in the following stat categories: rebounds, steals and blocks. Clutter also is scoring an average of 10.4 points/game. A sophomore guard, Clutter is coming off an 18-point, 10-rebound double-double in North Alabama's most recent game, a 95-60 win over Fisk.
THE LAST TIME THEY MET
Chattanooga women's basketball went on a 17-0 run in the fourth quarter to come away with a 55-44 win over North Alabama at Flowers Hall. Defense kept the game close for the Mocs who held North Alabama to its second-lowest scoring output this season, 30 points below its average 74.1 points per game and stifled the Lions 3-point shooting, holding them to nearly half their average. Chattanooga trailed 26-25 at the half and ended the third tied 35-35 after taking the lead for the first time in the frame. It would be the fourth that saw the Mocs take over. With 8:21 to play, UNA took a 39-36 lead on a layup. Chattanooga's Raven Thompson found her way through the paint shortly after reentering the game, sparking a 17-0 run. She would score 11 of her game-high 18 points in the run. Chattanooga outscored the Lions 20-9 in the final frame and improved to 7-5 overall. Raven Thompson led all scorers with 18 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Senior Abbey Cornelius climbed her way into the Mocs' record books as she became the 30th member of the UTC 1,000-Point Club. With 15 points in the game, she has 1,014 and is tied for 27th for her career. Saturday marks just the fifth-ever meeting between the Mocs and the Lions on the women's hardwood, with the two teams set to play against one another for the fourth consecutive season following a 33-year hiatus between their first meeting in 1987 and second in 2020. The Mocs currently lead the all-time series 3-1, with UNA's lone win coming in a 74- 71 victory over UTC in 2021. A win on Saturday would be Chattanooga's first home win over the Lions since the series debut in 1987.
TOP NOTES
• Both Thompson and grad transfer Jada Guinn earned Preseason All-SoCon nods by the conference prior to the season.
• The Mocs are coming off of earning just their sixth ranked win in program history last Sunday, when UTC took down #21 Mississippi State, 59-53.
• Prior to Sunday's victory, the last ranked win for the Mocs came on December 17, 2014 when UTC defeated #7 Stanford, 54-46.
• Chattanooga is currently riding a six-game winning streak, the team's longest win streak since they won six games in a row back during the 2017-18 season.
• UTC has relied heavily on the two-headed scoring monster of Thompson and Guinn to start the year. The duo has scored a combined 284 of the Mocs' 599 points this year, with Guinn averaging 16.9 and Thompson averaging 14.7 per game.
• The Mocs currently rank as the fifth-best three-point shooting team in the nation shooting at 41.9 percent. This is thanks in large part to freshman Hannah Kohn, who currently ranks second in the entire NCAA in three-point percentage individually (.579) while making an average of 2.4 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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