SPARTANBURG, S.C. --- Chattanooga women's basketball's Jada Guinn was once again honored in the Southern Conference's Player of the Week award race, with the grad student taking home the award for the fourth time this season, as announced by the league office on Tuesday.
Guinn is now up to a grand total of five POTW awards on the season, having raked in her fourth SoCon honor this week as well as being a one-time TSWA Player of the Week back in December. The Oak Ridge, Tennessee, native is now in elite company, as this marks just the fourth time in program history that a UTC player has won at least four SoCon Player of the Week awards in the same season.
The last person to accomplish the feat for the Mocs was Shanara Hollinquest, who won the award four times during the 2008-09 season. The program record for most SoCon Player of the Week awards won in a single season sits at six, with Alex Anderson reaching the total in the 2006-07 and the 2007-08 seasons.
Guinn comes off a week in which she helped lead the Mocs to a pair of road victories over Samford and Mercer, increasing UTC's active win streak up to 10 straight wins. This marks the longest win streak for the Mocs since the 2015-16 season. Over the course of the week, Guinn would ultimately score 33 points (16.5/game) on 11-for-25 (44 percent) shooting, grabbed 19 rebounds (9.5/game), logged four assists (2.0/game) while tallying an additional block for the Mocs.
The grad student opened her week at Samford, where she tied for a game-high 12 points on the night paired alongside eight rebounds in UTC's 55-39 win over the Bulldogs. Guinn would also lead the team in assists (2) and blocks (1) in the win, while shooting the pill at a 5-for-13 (38.5 percent) clip from the floor and going 2-for-2 from the free throw line.
The 39 points allowed to Samford marked the fewest points allowed by UTC to a SoCon opponent since only giving up 32 to Western Carolina in 2018. It marks the fewest allowed by UTC in a SoCon road game since giving up 39 to Wofford back in 2012. The Mocs also held Samford to a team shooting percentage of 22.8 percent (13-for-57) on the night, the lowest shooting split for a UTC opponent since 2008.
Guinn followed up her performance in Birmingham by traveling to Macon and helping the Mocs take down Mercer, 61-52. This time, Guinn would score 21 points on 6-for-12 (50 percent) shooting from the floor, as well as going 9-for-11 (81.8 percent) from the charity stripe. Guinn ultimately finished with her fifth double-double of the season against the Bears, leading the Mocs with 11 rebounds in the victory. She also once again led the team in assists, logging two.
This game marked Guinn's eighth 20+ point performance of the season. The Mocs are an undefeated 8-0 when Guinn surpasses the 20-point mark for her team this year.
Here is how Guinn actively ranks in the SoCon individually: second in scoring (18.2/game), third in field goal percentage (.506), third in free throw percentage (.765), eighth in rebounding (6.7/game) and ninth in assists (2.5/game). Guinn also currently ranks 29th in the entire NCAA in made field goals (170), 35th in total points scored (436), 50th in points/game (18.2) and 57th in made free throws (91).
As a team, the Mocs are having a season for the ages when it comes to on-court success, with Chattanooga holding a 21-3 record overall and an undefeated 9-0 record in SoCon play. This is the eighth time in program history that the Mocs have started out Southern Conference action 9-0. Additionally, UTC improved their record to a flawless 8-0 in true road games this season following this week's slate of road contests, marking the best start to a road season for the Mocs since 1999-2000.
Guinn and the rest of Chattanooga women's basketball have their sights set on their lone game of the week this coming Saturday, with UTC set to hit the road once again to battle with in-state rival East Tennessee State on February 17. The Mocs and the Bucs are set to tip at 2 p.m. ET from Brooks Gymnasium in Johnson City, and fans will be able to catch the game either on ESPN+ or over the radio 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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