BIRMINGHAM, Ala. --- The Chattanooga women's basketball team put on a defensive masterclass on the road in Birmingham on Saturday night, with the Mocs holding Samford to a historically low shooting percentage from the floor as UTC cruised its way to win No. 20 of the season, defeating the Bulldogs 55-39.

The Mocs (20-3, 8-0 SoCon) remained perfect in conference play after showing out on both sides of the ball to easily handle the Bulldogs (11-12, 3-5 SoCon). The Mocs posted their lowest turnover total since 2019, alongside holding the Bulldogs to the lowest shooting percentage by a UTC opponent since 2008.

With the win, the Mocs have now reached 20 wins on the year, marking back-to-back seasons under Coach Poppie that UTC has accomplished the feat. Not only that, but it marks the 23rd time the Mocs have reached 20 wins in a season. Poppie joins former UTC coach Jim Foster as one of only two coaches in program history to record 20+ wins in each of their first two seasons at the helm of Chattanooga women's basketball.

After allowing Samford to score the opening bucket of the night, it really was all Mocs from that point on as UTC clamped the Bulldogs up for the remainder of the opening quarter to take a 13-6 lead into the second.

The Mocs continued to smother the Bulldogs through the second quarter, holding Samford to another single-digit quarter with only nine points coming from the Bulldogs compared to UTC's 14. Heading into the half, the Mocs were seemingly on cruise control on defense as they held a 27-15 lead.

Samford's 15 points in the opening half rank as the second-lowest allowed by the Mocs in a half this season. The fewest in Chattanooga's game against Tennessee Tech, in which they held the Golden Eagles to just 12 in the first half.

UTC's defense continued to shine throughout the third frame, holding the Bulldogs to single digits for the third straight quarter. While the Mocs were only able to score 10 points in the third, they still outscored Samford 10-6 in the quarter to carry a comfy 37-21 lead into the final 10 minutes of the night.

While the Mocs finally loosened up their grip on the defensive side of the ball in the fourth, the Bulldogs were never able to dig out of the hole that they found themselves in from the previous 30 minutes. The Mocs ultimately came away with a 55-39 win when all was said and done in Birmingham, proving yet again the importance of good team defense.

Samford would finish the night shooting just 22.8 percent (13-for-57) from the floor. Not only is this the lowest shooting percentage by a UTC opponent this season, but it is the lowest shooting percentage by a UTC opponent since March 7, 2008 when UNCG shot just 20.4 percent (11-for-54).

Not only that, but the Bulldogs' 39 points stands as the best defensive effort in SoCon play for the Mocs since January 6, 2018 when UTC held Western Carolina to just 32 points. It's also the fewest points allowed by Chattanooga in a SoCon road game since allowing 39 points to Wofford on February 5, 2012.

Offensively the Mocs took amazing care of the ball, recording just six total turnovers as a team on the night. This turnover total is the fewest UTC has had in a game since tallying six on the road against Samford on January 26, 2019.

It's hard to point out just one individual effort that got the job done for the Mocs, but two notable performances came from the dynamic duo of Jada Guinn and Raven Thompson. Guinn returned to form on the offensive side of the ball, dropping a team-high 14 points in the win. Thompson on the other hand came away with her seventh career double-double, finishing with 12 points and 11 rebounds.

FROM THE HEAD COACH | QUOTES
On defensive effort and the fourth quarter
"We've just got to finish better. We've been on them about killer instinct. When you've got them down, you got to keep pushing and we have a tendency to let off the gas a little bit. I don't know, maybe we're tired. I didn't think we had crazy minutes going, but you know, at the end of the day, we're pretty proud of our effort. 22 percent from the floor from Samford, that's pretty darn good defensively. We win on the road, when you do that anytime in this league that's a good day."

"They're a good basketball team. They made some shots. I thought they went to Carly (#5), quite a bit there down the stretch. They went small and unorthodox a little bit and then we just had some miscommunication on some ball screen stuff. The press break. We give them, I don't know, three or four possessions back, so we'll clean some of that stuff up. It's just a lack of focus when we think the game's over with."

On Raven Thompson grabbing important rebounds
"She rebounded really well. It's kind of interesting. I thought her (sic) and Jada [Guinn] were slow for the most part tonight. Raven stayed with it. I'm gonna tell ya, when she's in her game and she doesn't always have to be physical. She can be finesse every once in a while because she has all the tools. I thought she went to some of that late instead of trying to be physical. We became productive and she's such a good player for us. She's such a good player in this league and we're fortunate to have her on our team."

TOP TAKEAWAYS | NOTES
- With the win, the Mocs now secure the 2-0 regular season sweep against the Bulldogs.
- UTC has won its past three meetings against Samford. The last win for the Bulldogs came on January 12, 2023.
- The last time UTC lost in Birmingham came on January 23, 2020. Since then the Mocs are 3-0 on the road against Samford.
- Chattanooga's win streak has now reached nine straight victories.
- This matches the team's longest win streak of the season, which came prior to the turn of the New Year from Nov. 12 to Dec. 20.
- This marks the 23rd 20-win season in program history.
- Coach Poppie has now led the Mocs to his second consecutive 20-win season, with UTC sitting at a 20-3 record overall this season.
- Poppie is now just the second coach in program history to have 20-win seasons in each of his first two seasons with the team.
- The other coach was Jim Foster, who had 29-win seasons in 2013-14 and 2014-15.
- The team remains undefeated in the 2024 calendar year.
- The Mocs also remain undefeated in SoCon play at 8-0 at the halfway point of the SoCon season.
- The last time Chattanooga started 8-0 in conference action: 2014-15 season (the Mocs went on to finish a perfect 14-0 in SoCon play that year).
- Chattanooga moves to a perfect 7-0 record in true road games this season.
- The last time UTC started 7-0 in road games in a season: 1999-2000 season (went on to finish 12-0 on the road that year).
- The last time UTC won seven straight true road games in a season: 2014-15 season (10 straight road wins).
- UTC has now led 20 out of 23 games this season at the half.
- Guinn and Thompson have now accounted for 732 of Chattanooga's 1,491 total points on the year (49.1 percent of team's scoring output).
- UTC shot 41.8 percent (23-for-55) from the floor on the day.
- The Mocs have shot above 40 percent as a team 21 times this season.
- The Mocs held the Bulldogs to single-digit scoring in each of the first three quarters of the game.
- This was the sixth time that UTC has held an opponent to fewer than 50 points.
- The 39 Bulldogs points is the best defensive effort in SoCon play for the Mocs and fewest since Jan. 6, 2018 in a 47-32 home win over Western Carolina.
- It's the fewest allowed in a SoCon road game since a 51-39 win over Wofford in Spartanburg, S.C., on Feb. 5, 2012.
- 42 rebounds by the Mocs mark the second-most for the team this season, and just the second time the team has recorded 40+ this year.
- The Bulldogs were held to shooting just 22.8 percent (13-for-57) from the floor on the night.
- The last time the Mocs held their opponent to that low of a shooting percentage: March 7, 2008 when UNCG shot just 20.4 percent (11-for-54).
- Every Moc that checked into the game scored at least once for the team on the night.
- UTC finished with a season-low six turnovers. This is the fewest the team has had in a game since the team had six on the road against Samford on January 26, 2019.

UP NEXT: MERCER
UTC will continue its roadtrip this Saturday with a matchup in Macon against Mercer (10-14, 4-4 SoCon). The Mocs will be aiming for a season sweep of the Bears, having defeated Mercer earlier this season in McKenzie Arena. Tipoff for Saturday's game is slated for 2 p.m. ET, with the game available either on ESPN+ or via WFLI 104.3 FM.

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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