NOTES | QUOTES | GALLERY

RALEIGH---The 14th-seeded Chattanooga Mocs entered ACC Country for the second year in a row to open play in the NCAA Women's Basketball Championships. The Mocs fought but fell 64-45 at 3rd-seeded N.C. State in Reynolds Coliseum.
 
Jada Guinn led the way with 13 points and seven rebounds. Raven Thompson added 11 points. Aziaha James led all scorers with 19 for the Wolfpack. River Baldwin chipped in 10 points and 11 boards.
 
The ladies battled from start to finish, but a cold shooting night throttled their chances. Even with the offensive struggles, it was still a 5-point game, 20-15 with 4:51 left in the second quarter after two Jada Guinn free throws.
 
The Wolfpack went on a 21-5 run over the next 12 minutes to pull out to a 21-point advantage, 41-20, on a River Baldwin jumper with just inside five minutes to go in the third. It came in a 12:51 stretch with just two Mocs baskets – Guinn and Raven Thompson – but the defense kept them in it.
 
Back-to-back baskets from Hannah Kohn and Takia Davis cut the lead back to 17. Another defensive stop gave the Mocs the ball with a chance to build momentum late in the third, but a missed jumper was followed by four straight free throws by the Wolfpack to send the Mocs into the fourth down 19, 45-26. The same margin as the final score.
 
The season ends with a 28-5 mark for the Mocs. It's the fifth time in school history with 28 or more triumphs falling just one shy of the record done four times – 2008, 2013, 2014 & 2015.
 
RECORDS – Chattanooga (28-5) | No. 11 N.C. State (28-6)
 
SERIES – Overall: 0-4 | In Raleigh: 0-2 | Postseason: 0-1
 
NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY

• 17th appearance.
• Record at 14 seed: 0-1
• 1-17 all-time, 1-16 as a double-digit seed.

 
COACH SHAWN POPPIE

• Record at Chattanooga: 48-18 (2nd season) | Career Record: Same
• Road Record: 20-9 | 2023-24: 11-1
• NCAA Tournament: 0-2
• vs Ranked Teams in 2023-24: 1-1

 
NOTES TO KNOW

• N.C. State Coach Wes Moore led the Chattanooga Mocs for 15 seasons (1999-2013) amassing a 358-113 (.760) overall record winning 84.1 percent (222-42) in SoCon regular season contests. He led the Mocs to nine of the program's 18 NCAA appearances and 12 regular season SoCon titles.
• All five Mocs starters – Sigrun Olafsdottir, Addie Grace Porter, Jada Guinn, Raven Thompson and Karsen Murphy – played in last season's NCAA Tournament. Guinn started at Tennessee Tech while the remaining quartet was in blue & gold in Blacksburg, Va.
• Guinn's 643 points this season ranks third all-time at Chattanooga behind Alex Anderson's record 677 in 2007 and 654 by Regina Kirk in 1988.
• Kohn set the Mocs season record for 3pt percentage making 46.3 percent (68-147)
• Kohn's 68 threes ranks tied for 7th all-time, most by a freshman in school history. She matched Denise Grooms (1998-99) and Chelsey Shumpert (2014-15) on the list.

 
STATS TO KNOW

• Mocs shot 33.3 percent from the field (17-51) after a strong fourth quarter (50.0%, 7-14). They limited the Wolfpack to 33.3 percent as well (18-54).
• -17 on the boards (29-46). Despite that advantage, N.C. State managed just a 5-1 advantage in second chance points.
• Tough shooting day highlighted by 1-13 start beyond the arc (7.7 percent) before making their last two (20.0%, 3-15).

QUOTES FROM COACH POPPIE
"Yeah, hats off to NC State, Wes and their group. Not only obviously playing and getting the better of us today, but really this whole last couple days. It's been first class. We've enjoyed our time, obviously, besides the loss today. But I have a group in that locker room that I'm super, super proud of. I thought we competed. We defended. Offensively we struggled a little bit. That's a little bit of us and a lot of them. Their length really bothered us. I couldn't be more proud of the group. These two obviously. But the rest of the ones that are in that locker room, I think they've represented our program, our university to the best of their abilities that we should really walk out of here with our heads up high. And it's unfortunate it's come to an end. 28 and 5 is pretty darn good, though, and it's something we'll remember, not just the success, the relationships, the times we've had. Again, I couldn't be more proud to be their coach, and just hard to have it end this way."