ASHEVILLE, N.C. --- Chattanooga women's basketball continues its quest for SoCon Tournament win No. 20 on Friday, with UTC set to square off against Mercer in the Southern Conference Tournament Semifinals.
 
The Mocs (26-4, 13-1 SoCon) put together an amazing team effort in their quarterfinal matchup with Western Carolina on Thursday, putting the Catamounts away 64-43 to punch the Mocs' ticket into the semifinals. UTC will now have to face the No. 4 seed in Mercer (15-16, 8-6 SoCon), who came out on top over No. 5 ETSU in their quarterfinal clash.
 
Friday's game against the Bears can be found on ESPN+ as well as over the radio on the primary WFLI stations including 96.1 FM/100.3 FM/1070 AM. Tipoff is slated for 11 a.m. ET. A win by the Mocs would set them up for a chance to go back-to-back as tournament champions on Sunday, with the title game scheduled to run at 12 p.m. ET with television coverage provided by ESPNU. The winner of Chattanooga vs. Mercer will take on either No. 2 UNCG or No. 3 Wofford in that championship matchup.
 
GAME DAY INFORMATION
Opponent: #4 Mercer
Date: Friday, March 8, 2024
Time: 11:00 a.m. ET
Follow the game live online on ESPN+, WFLI, The Varsity App or the GoMocs App. Links are available online at GoMocs.com.
 
MOCS FAN CENTRAL
Pre-game:
The Bier Garden (46 Haywood St, Asheville, NC 28801) is the home of the Mocs pre-game festivities throughout the SoCon Tournament in Asheville, NC this year. This will be the gathering place prior to each Mocs contest during the Championship weekend, beginning on Saturday, March 9. As our teams advance in the tournament, we will be hosting socials at The Bier Garden 90 minutes prior to tip and ending 15 minutes prior to tip. 

Post-game:
Following each game throughout the tournament, join your fellow Mocs fans at Off the Wagon Dueling Piano Bar (22 N. Market Street, Asheville, NC 28801), the preferred post-game celebration destination for Mocs fans. 
 
FAN CENTRAL SCHEDULE
Friday, March 8
11:00am - #1 Chattanooga WBB vs. #4 Mercer Bears
Immediately following the game, join your fellow Mocs Fans at The Bier Garden for the Women's Basketball Postgame Social
5:30pm - 7:30pm - UTC Fans Welcome Event Social at The Bier Garden
To RSVP for this event, please click HERE.
Hosted by the UTC Mocs Club. Spirit Teams and Pep Band in attendance.
 
Saturday, March 9
4:30pm - 5:45pm - Men's Basketball Pregame Social at The Bier Garden
6:00pm - #3 Chattanooga MBB vs. #6 Wofford Terriers
 
Check back HERE as the Mocs advance through the men's and women's brackets for more information on any additional UTC fan festivities.
 
GAME DAY PROMOTIONS
- Education Days – Thursday, March 7 and Friday, March 8 – Asheville area school children will attend the 11 a.m. women's games on both days as part of the annual SoCon Education Days. 
- Dollar Hot Dog Night – Friday, March 8 – Hot dogs at the Harrah's Cherokee Center-Asheville concession stands will be specially priced at $1 each for the men's first round games on Friday, March 8. 
- Downtown Dribble & Kidsfest – Saturday, March 9– The annual Downtown Dribble and Kidsfest will take place Saturday, March 9 beginning at 9:30 a.m. at Roger McGuire Park in downtown Asheville, culminating with a dribble parade from the park to the Harrah's Cherokee Center-Asheville at 11 a.m. Kids participating in the Downtown Dribble and Kidsfest will get free admission to the Saturday noon session with a paying adult. 
- Youth Sports Day – Sunday, March 10 – The Southern Conference will be honoring and welcoming all Youth Sport groups and participants to the women's championship game and the men's semifinal games on Sunday, March 10. 
- Hometown Heroes – Monday, March 11 – The Southern Conference is rewarding various groups within the Asheville community for their service and dedication with tickets to the Monday, March 6 men's championship game at 7 p.m.. These groups include first responders, current and former military members, healthcare workers and employees in the service industries.
 
FAN ZONE AT THE SOCON CHAMPIONSHIPS
The Fan Zone for 2024 will feature free food and beverage sampling on select days and times, a photo booth, Mascot Challenge voting kiosks, classic arcade games, free giveways, and other activities. The Fan Zone will be open at the SoCon Basketball Championships on the following days and times:
- Friday, March 8 – 4 p.m. till 8:45 p.m. 
- Saturday, March 9 – 11 a.m. till 3:45 p.m. 
- Saturday, March 9 – 5 p.m. till 9:45 p.m. 
- Sunday, March 10 – 11 a.m. until 1:15 p.m. 
- Sunday, March 10 – 3 p.m. until 7:45 p.m. 
- Monday, March 11 – 6 p.m. until 8:15 p.m.
 
ABOUT CHATTANOOGA (26-4, 13-1 SoCon)
The Mocs entered the 2024 Southern Conference Tournament as the No. 1 overall seed following a 2023-24 regular season that saw the Mocs finish 25-4 and 13-1 in SoCon play. Chattanooga has been an elite when it comes to shooting the ball, ranking first in the conference in field goal percentage, three-point percentage and free throw percentage. UTC is also one of the nation's premier defensive squads, limiting opponents to 54.0 points/game and just a 26.7 percent three-point percentage on the year. The Mocs are led by head coach Shawn Poppie, who was named the 2024 Southern Conference Coach of the Year prior to the tournament getting underway. Players recognized by the SoCon heading into the tournament included First Team All-Conference selections Jada Guinn and Raven Thompson, as well as All-Defensive Team honoree Sigrun Olafsdottir and All-Freshman Team honoree Hannah Kohn.
 
ABOUT MERCER (15-16, 8-6 SoCon)
The Bears entered the SoCon Tournament as the league's No. 4 seed after sitting at the bottom of a string of tiebreakers with UNCG and Wofford. While Mercer may not hold a Top 3 seed in the tournament, they are certainly a team that requires UTC's full attention especially following the Bears' dominating 67-52 win over ETSU in the SoCon Quarterfinals. The Mocs swept the regular season series against the Bears this year, winning both matchups by nine points. Mercer saw a pair of players named to the Southern Conference's All-Conference Second Team earlier this week, with Summah Evans and Stacie Jones both getting nods from the coaches and media polls. Evans also received a spot on the SoCon All-Defensive Team after being the conference's Defensive Player of the Year a season ago.
 
THE LAST TIME THEY MET
More often than not, the Chattanooga women's basketball team has found a way to win in just about every game of the 2023-24 season, and that didn't change on Saturday when the Mocs came out on top 61-52 on the road against a scrappy Mercer team in Hawkins Arena. Early offensive woes by the Mocs had things looking like it would be a slugfest between UTC and the Bears, but strong offensive efforts by Raven Thompson and Jada Guinn paired with countless defensive stops by the Mocs proved crucial as the Mocs came away with their 10th consecutive win. Raven Thompson would end her day scoring a team-best 23 points, while Jada Guinn followed closely behind her with 21 points and 11 rebounds
 
TOP NOTES
• Chattanooga's all-time SoCon Tournament record: 64-21
• Chattanooga's all-time SoCon Tournament record as 1 seed: 39-4
• Number of times UTC has been 1 seed (including this year): 18
• Number of times UTC has won SoCon Tournament as 1 seed: 13
• UTC's SoCon Tournament record under Shawn Poppie: 4-0
• Jada Guinn and Raven Thompson were both named First Team All-Conference for the Mocs, while Sigrun Olafsdottir and Hannah Kohn received nods to the SoCon All-Defensive and All-Freshman Teams, respectively.
• HC Shawn Poppie was named Southern Conference Coach of the Year in his second year at the helm of the program. It marks the 11th time a UTC coach has received the honor.
• Jada Guinn has been a pure bucket-getter for the Mocs this year, finishing in double-digits in 29 out of 30 games this season. Additionally, Guinn has eclipsed the 20-point mark 11 times this season including scoring a career-high 30 at WCU.
• The Mocs finished the season a perfect 11-0 in true road games this year. UTC is joined by South Carolina as the only two teams yet to lose on the road this year. The Mocs have gone undefeated on the road once before in program history (1999-00 went 12-0).
• Hannah Kohn (61 3PT made) has her sights on earning a new UTC freshman record for 3PT made in a season. The current UTC freshman record is 64 by Lakelyn Bouldin from 2016-17.
 
HOTEL INFORMATION FOR MOCS FANS/ALUMNI
The Hilton Garden Inn Asheville Downtown (309 College St, Asheville, NC 28801) located just .52 miles from Harrah's Cherokee Center serves as the Mocs Fans hotel throughout the tournament. Click HERE to make a reservation.

For information on other hotel accommodations, click HERE.
 
SOCON CHAMPIONSHIPS PARKING
Fan Parking is located throughout downtown Asheville. Additionally, Fan Trolleys will be running during the tournament from a number of locations starting 120 minutes (2 hours) before each game of each day, and 60 minutes following the conclusion of each game of each day. Thursday through Monday, March 7-11. Click HERE for a parking map.
 
Real-time parking information for Asheville Parking Decks can also be found HERE.
 
FAN TROLLEY STOPS/ROUTES
Route 1 Trolley:
Sears Alley/Coxe Avenue Parking Deck @ Corner of Sears Alley and Coxe Ave
Wall Street Parking Deck @ Page Avenue and Battery Park Avenue.
Page Avenue @ Harrah's Cherokee Center-Asheville
 
Route 2 Trolley:
Renaissance Hotel- Front Entrance
College Street Parking Deck (164 College Street)
Haywood Street @ Harrah's Cherokee Center-Asheville
 
VENUE INFORMATION
Harrah's Cherokee Center – Venue Website
Box Office Hours of Operation: Tuesday - Friday, 10am - 4pm (Varies on Day of Event)
Click HERE for more information.
For information regarding venue policies, please visit HERE.
For a seating diagram, click HERE.
 
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
Follow @GoMocsWBK on Twitter & @gomocswbk on Instagram for the most up-to-date information and news regarding Chattanooga women's basketball.

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