STARKVILLE, Miss. --- Chattanooga women's basketball is back on the road this weekend with the Mocs set to travel to Starkville, Mississippi, to take on SEC foe Mississippi State in a road, non-conference matchup.
Less than a year removed from UTC's upset win over the Bulldogs last season at the Roundhouse, the Mocs (2-2) will now be searching for a similar result this Sunday, November 17, when the Bulldogs (3-0) play host to Chattanooga. While MSU may not be ranked like they were last season, it would still be an impressive notch to UTC's belt as Mississippi State is currently receiving votes in the early iterations of the AP Top 25 and USA Today Coaches polls.
Sunday's game is scheduled for a 3 p.m. ET (2 p.m. CT in Starkville) tipoff with streaming coverage being provided by SEC Network+ and ESPN+. Fans can also tune into WFLI 96.1 FM/100.3 FM/1070 AM if they'd prefer to listen to Will Poindexter's radio coverage of the Mocs. Live stats will also be provided by Mississippi State, with that link being available above or on the Chattanooga women's basketball schedule page.
GAME DAY INFORMATION
Date: Sunday, November 17, 2024
Time: 3:00 p.m. ET
Follow the game live online on SEC Network+, ESPN+, WFLI, The Varsity App or the GoMocs App. Links are available online at GoMocs.com.
ABOUT CHATTANOOGA (2-2, 0-0 SoCon)
Chattanooga is coming off its second loss of the season after dropping a76-66 result to Troy University this past Thursday. Now 2-2 on the year, the Mocs will hope to continue their success in away games this year with UTC currently sitting with a record of 1-0 when playing on the road. The Mocs have had a stout defense to open the year, as Chattanooga's three-point defense (.220), turnovers forced/game (21.8) and three-point attempts/game (24.8) totals all currently lead the Southern Conference. Sigrun Olafsdottir has been a star for the Mocs, stuffing stat sheet after stat sheet to open the year. Her two most recent games for the Mocs saw the Iceland native record a combined 23 points (11.5/game), 17 rebounds (8.5/game), 11 assists (5.5/game) and eight steals (4.0/game). Caia Elisaldez has also been a standout for UTC, with the sophomore having scored 10+ points in three of the team's first four games of 2024-25. Her most recent game against Troy saw Elisaldez score a career-high 15 on the night.
ABOUT MISSISSIPPI STATE (3-0, 0-0 SEC)
The Bulldogs enter their contest with the Mocs receiving votes in both the AP Top 25 and USA Today Coaches polls, and rightfully so. Mississippi State opened its year by dropping triple-digits in its season-opener against Memphis, defeating the Tigers 100-56. The Bulldogs would then make quick work of their next two opponents, Alcorn State and Alabama State, to now stand a perfect 3-0 heading into the weekend. While the Bulldogs have been dominant in nearly every facet of the game thus far, some key areas that MSU has excelled in include field goal percentage defense (.262), rebounding margin (+20.0), rebounds/game (50.33) and scoring defense (43.3), each of which the team ranks in the Top 11 of the entire NCAA in. Madina Okot has averaged a double-double to open the year for the Bulldogs, with Okot currently sitting at 10.7 points/game and 11.7 rebounds/game. Her rebounding numbers actively rank 12th in the country. MSU has also relied on Eniya Russell on the offensive side of the ball, with Russell's 16.7 points/game leading the team.
THE LAST TIME THEY MET
The last time these two teams met, the Mocs delivered an all-time upset for the program with UTC downing the then-No. 21 ranked Bulldogs 59-53 in the Roundhouse on Dec. 3, 2023. The victory marked Chattanooga women's basketball's sixth ranked win in program history and first since 2014, as well as the team's first Power 4 (then-Power 5) win since 2017. The all-time series between the Mocs and the Bulldogs currently stands at 4-3 in favor of MSU. Chattanooga is 1-3 all-time when playing the Bulldogs in Starkville, with UTC's lone road win coming on Dec. 17, 1985 (The Mocs won that game 62-54).
TOP NOTES
• This marks the eighth meeting all-time between Chattanooga and Mississippi State. The Bulldogs currently lead the series 4-3 over the Mocs.
• These teams met last year on Dec. 3, 2023, in McKenzie Arena, where the Mocs upset the then No. 21 ranked Bulldogs 59-53. The win marked UTC's sixth ranked win in program history and the first since 2014.
• It also marked UTC's first win over a Power 4 (then-Power 5) team since 2017.
• The Mocs have had a different scoring leader across each of the team's opening four games:
vs. Shorter: Karsen Murphy (16)
vs. Tennessee Tech: Brooke Anya (12)
at NC Central: Gianna Corbitt (12)
vs. Troy: Caia Elisaldez (15)
• UTC currently leads the Southern Conference in three-point defense (.220), turnovers forced/game (21.8) and three-point attempts/game (24.8).
• Each of Chattanooga's four true freshman are currently averaging 4.5 points/game or higher for the Mocs to open the year.
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