ASHEVILLE, N.C. --- March basketball is finally upon us this week in Asheville, as the Chattanooga women's basketball team is set for the first round of the 2025 Southern Conference Tournament, in which the Mocs will take on Mercer on Thursday, March 6.
After taking home the W on a must-win Senior Day at the Roundhouse last Saturday, the Mocs (14-13, 9-5 SoCon) enter the tournament as the league's No. 2 seed, pitting UTC against the No. 7 seeded Mercer Bears to get things underway in Asheville. The Bears are a familiar foe for the Mocs in the SoCon Tournament, with these two teams having met last season in the SoCon Tournament Semifinals.
Thursday's SoCon Quarterfinal against the Bears is set to tipoff at 1:15 p.m. ET, but that start time is subject to change based on the length of the game taking place prior to UTC's. Fans can tune into ESPN+ or head to WFLI 96.1 FM/100.3 FM/1070 AM or The Varsity app over the radio. A win on Thursday would pit the Mocs against either No. 3 ETSU or No. 6 Furman on Friday, March 7 at 1:15 p.m. ET.
GAME DAY INFORMATION
Opponent: #7 Mercer
Date: Thursday, March 6, 2025
Time: 1:15 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.
MOCS FAN CENTRAL
NEW THIS YEAR: Highland Brewing Downtown Taproom (56 Patton Ave, Asheville, NC 28801) on the 2nd floor of the S&W Market building is the home of Mocs Central for the SoCon Tournament this year. We'll be hosting socials there before each game, starting 90 minutes before tip-off and ending 15-30 minutes prior. For more info, call the Mocs Club at (423) 425-4233.
Thursday, March 6 Women's Basketball Game
Where: Harrah's Cherokee Center - Asheville (87 Haywood St., Asheville, NC 28801)
Tip-off: Women's Basketball vs. Mercer at 1:15 pm
Thursday, March 6 Alumni Social
Where: White Labs Brewing Co. (172 S Charlotte St Asheville, NC 28801)
When: 6:00-8:00 pm
*To RSVP for this event, please click here.
Thursday, March 6 Tip-off Event
Where: Off the Wagon Dueling Piano Bar (22 N Market St Asheville, NC 28801)
When: 7:30pm
Hosted by Mocs Sports Properties
Any UTC apparel, UTC ID or game ticket will provide complimentary admission to the venue. Drink Menu specials will be available.
Friday, March 7 UTC Fans Welcome Event Social with UTC Spirit Programs
Where: Highland Brewing Downtown Taproom (56 Patton Ave, Asheville, NC 2880)
When: 5:30-7:30 pm
Details: Watch UTC Spirit teams & mingle with fellow fans! First drinks complimentary of UTC Advancement.
*To RSVP for this event, please click here.
Saturday, March 8 Men's Basketball Pregame Social
Where: Highland Brewing Downtown Taproom (56 Patton Ave, Asheville, NC 2880)
When: 5:30-7:30 pm
Tip-off: Men's Basketball vs. Winner of Session 1 Game 1 (#8 Mercer vs. #9 Western Carolina) at 12:00 pm
ABOUT CHATTANOOGA (14-13, 9-5 SoCon)
Chattanooga enters the SoCon Tournament as the tournament's No. 2 seed after grabbing a victory over Wofford in a must-win Senior Day game last Saturday against the Terriers. Since a shaky non-conference season, the Mocs have hit their stride as players both old and new have stepped into major roles within the team's overall make up. When watching UTC play, it's clear to see that the Mocs fuel their offense through their defense as Chattanooga currently ranks 21st in the country when it comes to scoring defense (56.0 points allowed/game). Caia Elisaldez, who was named as a First Team All-SoCon honoree earlier this week, is the driving force of UTC's offense as she leads the team in both scoring (14.2 points/game) and assists (4.7 assists/game). She also has a ton of supporting help on both sides of the ball, including two-time All-Defensive Team honoree Sigrun Olafsdottir as well as All-Freshman Team standout, Gianna Corbitt. It's also fun to note that first-year head coach Deandra Schirmer became the third coach in program history to lead the Mocs to a top-two seed at the SoCon Tournament in their first season with the team.
ABOUT MERCER (8-21, 3-11 SoCon)
Also under a first-year head coach in Michelle Clark-Heard, the Bears have struggled to find their footing over the course of the 2024-25 season with the Bears only sitting at eight wins on the season with three of those coming in SoCon play. Aside from sweeping their season series against No. 8 seed Western Carolina, Mercer's highest quality win came in their SoCon opener when they took down No. 5 seed Samford. Despite their record, Mercer can still be a thorn in UTC's side and must not be taken lightly as four of Mercer's final five games of the regular season were all decided by one possession. The Mocs will need to focus on limiting Mercer's leading scorer, Ariana Bennett, who is averaging 10.6 points/game on the year. Center Ashlee Locke is another heavy hitter for the black & orange, as Locke is currently averaging 1.8 blocks/game while also leading the team in rebounding (6.4 rebounds/game).
THE LAST TIME THEY MET
The last time these two teams met, the Mocs dismantled the Bears in Macon back on Feb. 13 as UTC took home a convincing 69-39 result. Caia Elisaldez put on a masterclass for the Mocs, scoring a team-high 21 points, while Gianna Corbitt logged her fifth double-double of the season after going for 13 points and 12 rebounds. It was a wire-to-wire victory for the Mocs. Overall, UTC is 25-11 when playing the Bears with the Mocs having won each of the last seven meetings. These two teams are meeting in the SoCon Tournament for the fourth time, and the Mocs hold a 2-1 record against the Bears in postseason play. The last time they met in the SoCon Tournament actually came last year in the SoCon Semifinals, where the Mocs claimed a 66-55 win over the Bears. Mercer's lone SoCon Tournament win over the Mocs came back in 2020, when funny enough the No. 7 seeded Bears upset the No. 2 seeded Mocs in the tournament's opening round, 63-55.
TOP NOTES
• Chattanooga's all-time SoCon Tournament record: 66-21
• Chattanooga's all-time SoCon Tournament record as 2 seed: 9-2
• Number of times UTC has been 2 seed (including this year): 6
• Number of times UTC has won SoCon Tournament as 2 seed: 3
• Last time UTC won SoCon Tournament as 2 seed: 2023
• Chattanooga's all-time SoCon Tournament record vs Mercer: 3-1
• Last time UTC played Mercer in SoCon Tournament: 2024 (Chattanooga won 66-55 in SoCon Tournament Semifinal)
• UTC's SoCon Tournament record under Deandra Schirmer: 0-0
• Caia Elisaldez earned First Team All-SoCon honors at the conclusion of the regular season. She was joined by Sigrun Olafsdottir and Gianna Corbitt when it came to postseason recognition, with Olafsdottir being named to the All-Defensive Team and Corbitt the All-Freshman Team.
• Gianna Corbitt leads all SoCon freshmen in rebounding (7.1 rebounds/game), steals (1.5 steals/game) and blocks (0.7 blocks/ game) while ranking fourth in scoring (10.4 points/game) this season.
• UTC holds the active NCAA streak for most consecutive games with a made three-pointer. Chattanooga's streak stands at 803 straight games with a made three-pointer and the streak dates back over 25 years to December 1999.
• Sigrun Olafsdottir is the program recordholder for most career games played (147) and starts (144). She also ranks eighth in program history in career steals (195) as well as being tied for eighth in career 3PT attempts (439).
• Olafsdottir actively leads the entire NCAA in minutes played/game (38.3) this season.
• The Mocs currently rank 21st in the nation in scoring defense, giving up an average of 56.0 points/game.
FOLLOW CHATTANOOGA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
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