CHATTANOOGA --- The Chattanooga women's basketball team continued its unbeaten streak in SoCon play on Thursday night, taking down second place Wofford 57-51 in what was a rematch of the 2023 Southern Conference Tournament title game.
After relying on the team's three-point shooting in the first half and high-motor defense in the second half, Mocs (18-3, 6-0 SoCon) were able to down the Terriers (12-8, 4-2 SoCon) to move two games clear of both Wofford and ETSU in the conference standings as we approach the midpoint of the SoCon schedule.
From the jump the Terriers were flooring it on both ends of the court, ripping off a 12-3 scoring run in the opening 5:36 of action. While the Mocs could have continued reeling, the team instead rolled up its sleeves and got to work.
After Sigrun Olafsdottir broke through for UTC with a three ball, the Mocs would eventually close out the first quarter with Jada Guinn scoring nine unanswered points to give Chattanooga a narrow 15-14 lead at the end of the frame.
Despite this strong end to the first, the Mocs were once again sluggish out of the gates to open the second, allowing an 8-0 Wofford run fueled by reigning SoCon Player of the Year, Rachael Rose. Desperate to find the bottom of the net, UTC turned to the young Caia Elisaldez to continue what has been a hot stretch for the freshman as of late.
Bookended by Elisaldez, the Mocs would connect on five three-pointers over their next six possessions, three of which came from the hand of the Whittier, California, freshman. Before the Terriers, could blink, they once again found themselves trailing to the Mocs, 30-25.
UTC didn't stop there, with the Chattanooga offense keeping its foot on Wofford's throat all the way to the halftime buzzer. Ending the half on what was ultimately a 15-0 run by the Mocs, UTC was ahead 39-25 at the break.
While the Mocs were able to close out the first half on a hot streak, Rose and the Terriers had different plans for how the second half would open. Over the entirety of the third quarter, UTC would be held to a season-low total of five points compared to Wofford's 11. The Mocs would shoot an abysmal 13.3 percent (2-for-15) from the floor and 10 percent (1-for-10) from three in the frame. Now with just 10 minutes left in the game, the Mocs found themselves ahead by just eight.
Wofford's push towards the Mocs wouldn't end there, as the Terriers continued to scratch and claw their way back into the game behind five fourth quarter threes from the team. Down to under a minute to play, the Mocs now narrowly held onto a 52-51 advantage over the Terriers.
Thankfully for UTC, that would be as close as Wofford could get to retaking the lead, as the freshman Elisaldez once again came up big for the Mocs by making all four of her free throw attempts for the team down the stretch. The final horn sounded in McKenzie, and the Mocs once again found a way to remain unbeaten in the Southern Conference with Chattanooga coming away with the 57-51 win.
Jada Guinn finished the night either leading or tying for the lead in every statistical category, including dropping 18 points, grabbing a career-high 16 boards and notching a season-high six assists on the night. This marks Guinn's fourth double-double with Chattanooga, as well as the seventh double-double of her career.
Elisaldez also proved crucial for the Mocs offensively, scoring a new career-high total of 15 while making a career-high three from behind the arc. Wofford's Rose would lead all scorer's in the game with 21, 14 of which came in the first half.
FROM THE HEAD COACH | QUOTES
Opening Statement
"Another one that we will take [SoCon win]. Obviously Wofford is a very good basketball team. I was interested to see 'where do we stack up?' We were first coming in and they were right behind us. I think we played that way to start too. We felt it out. We've got to get out of that habit. Once we did, I thought, there, midway through the first quarter through the second quarter we played more like us instead of like them.
"Second half, to be honest with you, I'm gonna have to watch film. It's hard. The way they decide to play, you gotta make shots. The way Sigrun [Olafsdottir] and Addie [Grace Porter] got shots, I'm not sure I would change it. I watched some film, but I believe in them just as much as anybody which made the game hard for Raven [Thompson] and obviously Jada [Guinn] down the stretch. Again, I'll watch film, but if they get 19 or 17 looks that are open in rhythm, let her fly.
"I'm glad we got the win. We did a lot of good things to come out with a win. It wasn't the prettiest, but I thought we played hard and together and found a way."
On defensive effort when ball is not falling
"I think it's a testament to our character, who we are as a team. A lot of times it's hard to play defense when you don't see the ball go through the net. We scored 18 points in the half, five in the third quarter alone and you see that lead just kinda slowly going away. I did not think our effort changed that much on that end of the floor. We continued to stick with the game plan. You have to give up some shots with who they are. Rachael Rose is a really good basketball player that has the ball in her hands quite a bit. You almost got to dare some other people to beat you, kinda like they did on our end. I thought we executed for the most part. They got loose a couple of times. A couple of fouls that I wasn't really a fan of. But I'm proud of how we were able to defend for most of the game even when offense was not going."
On defending Rachael Rose and her frustration
"Unbelievable performance. That was planned. I thought we could throw Caia [Elisaldez] on her at some point tonight in spurts. We let her get there early because Sigrun [Olafsdottir] gets a foul. Then I'm like, she is disrupting the flow. Rachael Rose is gonna score. She's gonna get points. The balls in her hand and she's that good of a player. But can it be difficult? I thought Caia made it difficult. For the 29 minutes she was out there probably 25 of it she guarded Rachael Rose, a true freshman guarding the Player of the Year and had wasn't scard of the moment. Really proud, and then she made shots. She's another 'when you're open, shoot it.' She's also a playmaker. She's added a big, big piece to us the last three games.
TOP TAKEAWAYS | NOTES
- This was the 62nd meeting between the Mocs and the Terriers in women's basketball.
- UTC now leads the all-time series 54-8.
- When playing at home against Wofford, the Mocs are now 26-2.
- The last time Chattanooga had defeated Wofford in the regular season: February 4, 2021 in Spartanburg.
- Chattanooga's win streak has now reached seven straight victories.
- The team's longest win streak this season is nine games, which was book-ended by losses on Nov. 12 (Marshall) and Dec. 20 (Coastal Carolina).
- The Mocs have now extended their home win streak up to nine consecutive home wins.
- The last home loss for UTC came on November 12, 2023 against Marshall.
- This marks the longest home win streak for the team since they won nine in a row back during the 2015-16 season.
- The Mocs are now 10-1 at home this season. The last time UTC won double-digit home games in a single season: 2015-16 (team finished 14-1).
- The team is undefeated in the 2024 calendar year.
- The Mocs also remain undefeated in SoCon play at 6-0.
- The last time Chattanooga started 6-0 in conference action: 2016-17 season (started 6-0, finished 12-2 overall).
- Starters: Porter, Guinn, Olafsdottir, Thompson and Murphy. This starting five now is now 16-2 on the year.
- UTC has now led 18 out of 21 games this season at the half.
- Jada Guinn has scored 10+ points in every game this season for the Mocs (21 games).
- Guinn and Thompson have now accounted for 683 of Chattanooga's 1,357 total points on the year (50.3 percent of team's scoring output).
- 37 rebounds by Chattanooga were the most by the team in a game since they had 38 against Coastal Carolina.
- UTC only shot 35.8 percent (19-for-53) from the floor, the team's worst shooting percentage in a game since shooting 26.7 percent against Coastal.
- This is just the second time this season the Mocs have shot below 40 percent as a team.
- The Mocs only scored five points in the third quarter, the lowest scoring quarter of the season for the team.
UP NEXT: FURMAN
UTC will now continue the team's homestand on Saturday by playing host to the Furman Paladins (12-10, 2-4 SoCon) at 2 p.m. ET in what will be the front half of a doubleheader with Chattanooga men's basketball. The women's game will also serve as the team's official 50th season celebration, complete with a throwback jersey giveaway and reunion for former players, coaches, and staff. Saturday's game will be available on both ESPN+ and over the radio waves on 96.1 FM/100.3 FM/1070 AM.
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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