2023-24 Chattanooga Mocs Women's Basketball
Game 10 – North Alabama
December 9 – McKenzie Arena – Chattanooga, Tenn.
Postgame Quotes
 
Shawn Poppie, Head Coach
Overall thoughts after 68-65 win over North Alabama.
"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. 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."
 
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.
 
Jada Guinn, Gr.-G
On being asked to take over down the stretch.
"It speaks volumes to the fact that Coach Poppie trusts me in that position and my teammates trust me in that position too. I feel like it's a privilege to be trusted in that pressure situation and I was happy to score some points for us in the end."
 
On the team's togetherness and trust.
"As a team, we all work on having dependability and encouraging everyone. As soon as she [Caia Elisaldez] made that layup, I was so happy for her. And as a team, we continued to encourage and cheer everyone on. I was running the floor, Addie running the floor, two freshmen out there, it just showed how much trust he [Poppie] has in us to play different positions and play in pressure situations."
 
On North Alabama's style.
"They came out a little different than what we're used to seeing. On makes, they get out on transition and play faster than what we were used to seeing. It's almost unorthodox, but in the end, I'm just happy to get a win."
 
Caia Elisaldez, Fr.-G
On contributing as a freshman.
"It's not even just the fact that I work hard to just to contribute to the team, but it's how hard our whole team works and how hard we have worked all season. Rather for myself, it shows a lot about our team and the trust that we have in everyone."
 
On scoring the game-winning layup.
"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. 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."
 
On Jada Guinn & Raven Thompson's leadership.
"It's nice to know that, between Jada and Raven [Thompson], we know that we can always count on those two, but it's a vise-versa deal. They know if one's down, we have someone to always pick them up. It's nice to know we have them, but I think it's a mutual feeling that they know they don't have to depend on just themselves. As much as we need them to score, they know we're going to get stops for them and cheer them on. It's great to have leaders like that."