BIRMINGHAM, Ala. --- The Chattanooga women's basketball team hits the road once again for a pair of SoCon road matchups this week, with UTC scheduled to take on Samford and Mercer on their home courts this Thursday and Saturday.
The Mocs (19-3, 7-0 SoCon) have yet to drop a game in SoCon play this season, holding a perfect 7-0 record. UTC will look to continue that trend first on Thursday with a meeting against the Bulldogs (11-11, 3-4 SoCon), followed by a game against the Bears (9-14, 3-4 SoCon) on Saturday.
Both games will be available to stream on ESPN+ and the fans can also head to 104.3 FM to catch both radio broadcasts of each contest as well. Tipoff for Thursday night's game in Birmingham is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT, while Saturday's game in Macon is slated for a 2 p.m. ET tip time. Live stat links for each game can be found on the team's schedule page on GoMocs.com.
GAME DAY INFORMATION
Opponent: Samford
Date: Thursday, February 8, 2024
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
Follow the game live online on ESPN+, WFLI, The Varsity App or the GoMocs App. Links are available online at GoMocs.com.
Opponent: Mercer
Date: Saturday, February 10, 2024
Time: 2:00 p.m. ET
Follow the game live online on ESPN+, WFLI, The Varsity App or the GoMocs App. Links are available online at GoMocs.com.
ABOUT CHATTANOOGA (19-3, 7-0 SoCon)
The Mocs are currently riding a multitude of win streaks into this week's slate of games, most notably an eight-game win streak that includes starting 7-0 in SoCon play. While UTC will be faced with a pair of road matchups this week, the team has handled its business on the road this season with the Mocs holding a 6-0 record in true road games. Leading the Southern Conference in field goal percentage, three-point percentage and free throw percentage, the Mocs are one of the most efficient teams in the nation when it comes to shooting the pill. Much of this can be credited to the team's leading scorer, Jada Guinn, who is currently averaging 18.3 points/game this season.
ABOUT SAMFORD (11-11, 3-4 SoCon)
The Bulldogs have hovered around the middle of the pack for much of the SoCon season thus far, entering Thursday's game with a .500 record overall and 3-4 record in conference play this year. Coming off of back-to-back double-digit losses to Wofford and Mercer, Samford will have their eyes on a win to not only get back into the win column, but to play spoiler to UTC's perfect conference season so far. Samford is led by premier shot-blocker Emily Bowman, who is currently averaging 2.7 blocks/game alongside a team-high 8.0 rebounds/game. The Bulldogs will also look to Carly Heidger (9.8 points/game) and Masyn Marchbanks (9.0 points/game) to provide a large slice of the team's offensive output.
ABOUT MERCER (9-14, 3-4 SoCon)
The Bears were able to snap a two-game losing skid last weekend with an 87-59 victory over rival Samford to move to 3-4 in the SoCon on the year. Despite their below .500 overall record, Mercer poses a true threat to their SoCon counterparts with Mercer taking advantage of their height in many of their wins this season. Forward Stacie Jones is a key piece for the Bears, averaging 11.4 points/game alongside a team-best 7.1 rebounds/game. Mercer also is now able to utilize the reigning SoCon Defensive Player of the Year, Summah Evans, to her fullest potential after she missed much of the front half of the season due to injury. Evans is currently leading the team in scoring (13.9 points/game), steals/game (1.8) and blocks/game (1.5).
THE LAST TIME THEY MET
Earlier this season, the Mocs were able to capture home wins over both Samford and Mercer to kick off the 2023-24 SoCon season for UTC. Chattanooga was able to first take down Mercer in the Mocs' SoCon season opener on January 10, defeating the Bears 66-57. The Mocs then followed this up with a dominant 75-52 victory over Samford on January 13. UTC is 29-11 all-time against Samford and 21-11 all-time when playing against Mercer.
TOP NOTES
• Guinn has been a pure bucket-getter for the Mocs this year, finishing in double-digits in 21 out of 22 games this season. Additionally, Guinn has eclipsed the 20-point mark seven times this season including scoring a career-high 30 at Western Carolina.
• Guinn has won a total of four different Player of the Week honors this season. She is a three-time SoCon POTW and one-time TSWA POTW.
• The Mocs have started 7-0 in SoCon action this year. They are one of just 11 teams left in the NCAA that have yet to lose a game in conference play.
• The duo of Guinn & Thompson has scored 708 of the Mocs' 1,436 points this year, with Guinn averaging 18.3 and Thompson averaging 14.5.
• Hannah Kohn (46 3PT made this season) has her sights set on earning a new UTC freshman record for three-pointers made in a season. The current freshman record is 64 set by Lakelyn Bouldin during her freshman year in 2016-17.
• Kohn is also gunning to break a 20-year-old program record for season three-point percentage. She currently has a season 3PT percentage of .474, and the program record currently stands at .450.
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.
FOLLOW CHATTANOOGA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
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