CHATTANOOGA --- The Chattanooga women's basketball team was able to hang onto its seventh consecutive win of the season on Saturday, taking down North Alabama 68-65.
The Mocs (9-1, 0-0 SoCon) were able to build up as big of a lead as 11 points, but a late charge by the Lions (3-6, 0-0 ASUN) saw UTC trailing as the minutes ticked down in McKenzie Arena. However, a dynamic double-double performance by Jada Guinn and late-game heroics by freshman Caia Elisaldez helped guide the Mocs to a narrow three-point victory to give the team its longest win streak in seven seasons.
"Saw a lot of familiar faces today and Mocs nation showed up and showed out today, especially down the stretch and we're always thankful for that," head coach Shawn Poppie said. "A win is a win, I'm just proud of the kids and their resiliency and how they continue to fight. At the end of the day, they just showed their grit, toughness, and togetherness. It might not be pretty and I'm not sure it's expected to be pretty. I'm proud of the group and that's a good North Alabama team. They're going to win some games and for us to get them today and move to 9-1 through a tough stretch of games, I'm proud of the group."
After UNA took an early 3-2 lead over the Mocs just 1:26 into the game, UTC went into cruise control offensively behind an 8-0 run that helped the Mocs build up a sizeable lead in the opening frame. Through one quarter of action, Chattanooga found itself up 16-9 and looking to continue to build upon that lead heading into the second.
In a high-scoring second quarter, the Mocs were able to maintain their lead over the Lions, but North Alabama continued to linger behind their extremely up-tempo style of play. UTC would take a 36-28 lead into halftime, but the Lions were prepared to throw everything they could at the Mocs in the second half.
The third quarter was a rollercoaster of emotion as UNA was able to close the gap to just four points at the 4:53 mark, but another scoring outburst by the Mocs kept the Lions at bay with Chattanooga sitting with its largest lead of the day with 1:05 remaining in the third, 51-40. A couple more baskets by saw the Mocs carrying a 53-45 advantage into the final quarter of play.
Right out of the gate the Lions were out for blood in the final quarter of action, sneaking up right on UTC's heels with North Alabama cutting it to a single possession game. It would be at the 4:41 mark of the fourth quarter that the Lions would retake the lead, their first lead since a minute and a half into the opening quarter of play.
The teams battled back and forth with neither side letting up, and down to just under one minute left to play the Mocs were facing a 65-64 deficit. With UNA taking some of the Mocs' biggest weapons out of the equation, Chattanooga turned to an unlikely hero to put up a go-ahead shot attempt, Caia Elisaldez.
The freshman from Whittier, California, drove to the right side of the rim with just under 30 seconds remaining, and with so much on the line, the young guard converted on a tough contested layup, giving the Mocs the 66-65 lead with only 23 seconds remaining in the game.
"On that play, honestly, it was drawn up for Hannah [Kohn] first, and then Jada [Guinn] second, and then if it wasn't there, we talked about someone needing to score," Elisaldez said. "I'm such a pass-first person, but I knew it was a moment where I needed to be there for the team. It wasn't much of a plan; it was more of reading the defense and taking what's there."
A big defensive stop on the other hand on the back of Karsen Murphy, alongside some clutch free throws from Jada Guinn was enough to see Chattanooga hang onto the win in front of the McKenzie faithful, with the Mocs coming out ahead 68-65.
Jada Guinn would lead the team in both points (21) and rebounds (13) to finish with a double-double, marking her first double-double with the Mocs and fourth of her playing career. Raven Thompson's day would end with her scoring 16, while Elisaldez matched her career-high for points with six. Both Thompson and Guinn have now both logged 10+ points in the same game nine times this season for the Mocs.
FROM THE HEAD COACH | QUOTES
On letting Jada Guinn guide the offense in the second half.
"My play call sheet, I had nothing with that lineup out there. We knew they were switching ball screens, and so for us, it was about getting the switch, getting behind it and making a play. We just had to have people step up. Jada [Guinn] found a way down the stretch, finished with 21 and 13, and I don't think she necessarily played her best. I had no other route to take than getting her the ball, spacing everyone out and see what she could do."
On North Alabama limiting three-point threat Hannah Kohn.
"They didn't have any gaps. That's back to the dribble-drive stuff, a reverse pass and finding yourself in a gap. I've said it a number of times, teams have to decide what to do when she's [Hannah Kohn] out there. Are they going to face guard her and play four-on-four, and then we have some freedom. I thought we couldn't really run our sets to free her up with the lineup we had out there. I wasn't really able to call things for her for much of the second half.
TOP TAKEAWAYS | NOTES
- Mocs now lead the all-time series against UNA, 4-1.
- UTC has never lost to the Lions at home.
- Last home win for the Mocs against North Alabama came on December 18, 1987 in a 85-84 UTC win.
- Chattanooga has now won seven games in a row, the team's longest win streak since the team won seven straight back in the 2016-17 season.
- Tied for the 12th-longest win streak in program history.
- The last time Chattanooga started 9-1 or better in their first ten games? The 2012-13 season.
- UTC has now earned its ninth non-conference win of the 2023-24 season, the most non-conference wins in a single season since 2017-18.
- The Mocs have led nine out of ten games this season at halftime. UTC led today's game 36-28 at the break.
- The Mocs have now used the same starting lineup through the opening 10 games of the season.
- This is only the fourth time this year that the Mocs have won by single digits.. The other non-10+ point wins for UTC were against Austin Peay (5 points), Kennesaw State (6 points) and Mississippi State (6 points).
- The ninth time this season that Jada Guinn and Raven Thompson have both scored 10+ points in the same game for the Mocs.
- Guinn and Thompson have now accounted for 321 of Chattanooga's 667 total points on the year.
- UTC shot 48.2 percent (27-for-56) from the field. The Mocs have shot 40 percent or above from the floor in every game this season.
- Jada Guinn earned her first double-double as a Moc, fourth of her career, after dropping 21 points and grabbing 13 rebounds.
- Marks her second 20-point game of the season, sixth of her career.
UP NEXT: LIPSCOMB
UTC now hits the road for a quick one game stop at Lipscomb on Thursday, December 14. The Bisons (5-3, 0-0 ASUN) are set to tip against the Mocs at 7 p.m. ET, 6 p.m. CT. The game will be available to stream on ESPN+ and Larry Ward's radio broadcast will also be available to fans on WFLI 96.1 FM/100.3 FM/1070 AM or the Varsity Network app. Fans can also follow live stats through Lipscomb's StatBroadcast page.
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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